Wednesday, May 15th, 2024
In Chicago, a consultant employed by the Chicago Blackhawks to foster better relationships with American Indian tribes has initiated a lawsuit against the hockey team, its charitable foundation, and its CEO. The lawsuit levels accusations of fraud, breach of contract, and sexual harassment.
Nina Sanders, the consultant, filed the lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court, alleging the Blackhawks engaged her services during a period of heightened scrutiny over their name and logo in 2020. Hired by CEO Danny Wirtz as a tribal liaison, Sanders claims Wirtz made several promises to secure her acceptance, including the creation of jobs for American Indians, land acquisition for the Sac and Fox Nation, and a change to the team's logo. None of these promises were fulfilled, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit further details Sanders' experiences of sexual harassment by a team employee, who allegedly attempted to sexually assault her in his hotel room in 2021, with continued harassment into 2022. She claims her complaints about this incident and reports of other instances of misconduct were ignored. Sanders also reported two other incidents involving male employees groping women, which she alleges were also disregarded.
Sanders' contract with the Blackhawks was terminated last summer, as stated in the lawsuit. Following the filing, the Blackhawks had not immediately commented on the matter when requested.
In their defense, the Blackhawks released a statement to WBBM-TV acknowledging "operational issues" with Sanders' work and disclosed feedback from external partners who expressed reluctance to work with her. Despite this, the team offered her a new contract in 2023, which she declined. Addressing the allegations of sexual harassment, the team stated its investigations did not find sufficient evidence to support Sanders' claims.
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