OAKLAND, Calif. – A California police officer who sued the president of the Toronto Raptors over a 2019 fight after the team won the NBA Finals over the Golden State Warriors dropped out of the lawsuit on Wednesday.
The Raptors had just won their first title at the Oracle Arena in Oakland on June 13, 2019, when Raptors president Masai Ujiri entered the court to join his commemorative team.
Alameda County Sheriff’s deputy Alan Strickland claimed in a federal lawsuit opened last February that he stopped Ujiri because he did not provide the proper credentials, leading to a partially captured video dispute of pushing. Strickland claimed that Ujiri hit him “in the face and chest with both fists”, tried to get around him and repeatedly ignored orders to stop.
The lawsuit claimed that Strickland suffered “physical, mental, emotional and economic damage”, including lost wages, lost opportunity for financial gain and future earning capacity. He also cited past and future medical expenses and care, and named his wife as a plaintiff. The lawsuit sought $ 75,000 in damages.
Strickland’s lawyers did not immediately respond to emails from The Associated Press seeking comment.
In August, Ujiri’s lawyers filed a counter-claim saying that the video showed that Strickland was “undeniably the initial aggressor” in the confrontation and that the new evidence would justify Ujiri.
One of his lawyers, Tamarah Prevost, said that Ujiri on Wednesday also dropped his lawsuit against Strickland, in which he claimed that Strickland used excessive force against him and pointed out that he would never have been treated with such disrespect had he not been black.
Prevost declined to comment further and referred all questions to the team.
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Raptors, said in a statement that Ujiri “was completely justified”.
“We are pleased with the end of the legal process – and especially pleased that the claims made against Masai and MLSE were dismissed completely, without any financial agreement,” said the company. “We remain deeply concerned that Masai was placed in this position in the first place, and we believe he should never have had to defend himself. Masai is taking some time to process the ordeal and intends to address it publicly at a later date. “