NEW YORK -- An ex-New York Knicks executive was fired over office politics, not because she dared to accuse coach Isiah Thomas of abusing her with crude language, a defense lawyer said Thursday in closing arguments at a sexual harassment trial.
The plaintiff in the $10 million lawsuit, Anucha Browne Sanders, failed to adapt to an organizational shake up that began with Thomas's hiring in 2004, said Ronald Green, an attorney for Madison Square Garden.
"It isn't about sexual harassment, it's about change," Green told a jury of five women and three men.
Testifying in Manhattan federal court, Browne Sanders accused Thomas of routinely addressing her as "bitch" and "ho" during private meetings. Green noted that Thomas, in his own testimony, admitted cursing in front of her, but not at her, and that other witnesses claimed that Browne Sanders herself used the term "bitch" in the workplace.
"She was far from uncomfortable with the very language she condemned," he said.
Green alleged that a series of clashes with Thomas and star guard Stephon Marbury, poor job performance and personal financial woes put Browne Sanders in a precarious position that prompted her to fabricate sensational claims. She was fired after demanding a $6 million settlement, he said.
"That's not about sexual harassment," he said. "That's about team politics."
Closing arguments by Browne Sanders' attorneys were expected later Thursday, with deliberations expected to start Friday.
Browne Sanders, a 44-year-old former Northwestern University basketball star, says she was dismissed in 2005 because she dared to accuse Thomas of routinely using vulgar language in his first year and of later making unwanted sexual advances toward her. She seeks reinstatement to a job as vice president of marketing, which paid as much as $260,000 annually.
On Wednesday, Thomas calmly testified that his contact with Browne Sanders was infrequent and usually friendly and respectful.
Degrading a woman with foul language "is never OK," he said. "It is never appropriate."
The 46-year-old Thomas also contradicted earlier testimony by Browne Sanders that during a conversation about season-ticket holders, he snapped, "Bitch, I don't give a [expletive] about these white people."
Season-ticket holders "are the backbone of how we all make a living," he said.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
Source: ESPN.com
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