Former Suns Employee’s Discrimination Lawsuit Dismissed With Prejudice
former-suns-employee-discrimination-lawsuit-dismissed
A federal discrimination lawsuit brought against the Phoenix Suns by former security director Gene Traylor was voluntarily dismissed with prejudice on Thursday, permanently ending the case, according to court records and team officials.
The Suns said no settlement was reached and no payment will be made. “Mr. Traylor’s claims were based on lies and entirely without merit,” a team spokesperson stated, adding that the former employee “has now abandoned these baseless claims, dismissing them and waiving any ability to reassert them.”
Attorneys Cortney Walters, Chloe Woods and Sherree Wright, who represent Traylor, issued a joint statement noting that both sides accepted a confidentiality agreement. They declined to share details, saying the dismissal “should not be interpreted as a reflection on the merits of plaintiff’s claims, but rather as a procedural step both sides determined was proper.”
Traylor filed the suit in May 2025 in U.S. District Court in Arizona, alleging discrimination, harassment and retaliation after joining the organization in January 2023. He claimed he was demoted nearly a year after presenting management with a security report that outlined safety, financial and reputational risks. The complaint also said the team discouraged him from taking protected leave while he underwent cancer treatment.
His filing referenced two Phoenix Police Department field tests—Dec. 17, 2023, and Dec. 3, 2024—during which plainclothes officers allegedly smuggled knives and handguns into the team’s arena. Traylor further contended that the Suns failed an NBA security audit in February 2025 as well as multiple other league inspections. The franchise refuted those assertions, saying it has never failed a league audit.
Traylor was dismissed from his position roughly two months after filing the lawsuit. The Suns said an outside investigation concluded he violated company policies regarding confidential security information and was “intentionally untruthful” with investigators.
Traylor’s complaint was among seven lawsuits filed by current or former Suns employees since November 2024, alleging discrimination, retaliation, harassment and wrongful termination.
The legal development comes as Phoenix heads into Saturday’s Game 3 of its first-round playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, trailing 2-0.
Source: ESPN
