Behind the scenes, action at a 2013 Rockets-Nets game is now the center of a highly charged lawsuit. Rasean Tate, 28, of Brooklyn, is suing the Houston Rockets basketball team and the company that handles catering at the Brooklyn Barclays Center, Levy Restaurant Holdings, for anti-gay discrimination and sex harassment. The New York Nets and the Barclays Center are not named in the suit.
According to the lawsuit, filed in Brooklyn Federal Court in April 2014, Tate was badgered and berated in the Barclays locker room. The team members hurled insults at him, including such statements as “Get this f—-t out of here!” and “He’s trying to catch a sneaky peeky!” Tate alleges he was targeted for being homosexual —both sexual harassment and sexual orientation discrimination is illegal in NYC.
Tate reported the incident to Levy’s catering manager and received a verbal apology from the Nets’ vice president of human resources. Tate was also told that Nets players were given special sensitivity training because of the incident.
Unfortunately, Tate was soon benched after he reported the harassment. He said he was barred from working lucrative assignments that promised overtime pays. Afterward, he was suspended without pay in January for “failing to follow instructions,” yet Tate claims the accusations were retaliation for his sex harassment complaint and because of his sexual orientation. In his complaint, Tate acknowledges he is gay.
Have you been discriminated against because of your orientation or gender?
There are a slew of city, state and federal laws protecting NYC workers from sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace. However, despite the legal barriers in place, New York employees are still threatened by unfair treatment and abuse. Speak with a sex harassment lawyer in NYC if you feel your rights have been violated.
The Derek Smith Law Group, PLLC handles a multitude of cases that involve gay sexual harassment. For further information, please feel free to call us at 212-587-0760 for a free consultation.
