Attorneys for an American law enforcement officer have filed a motion to dismiss a counterclaim against a lawsuit brought by Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri following an argument at last year’s NBA final.
In a file filed Monday in the US District Court in Oakland, Calif., Alameda County’s legal team, Alan Strickland, says it will petition for a dismissal.
A Zoom hearing is scheduled for November 17th.
The dispute came when Ujiri tried to get on the pitch after the Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors to claim the NBA title last June.
The Raptors have said that a video posted with the counter suit proves that Ujiri wasn’t the attacker in the dispute.
The footage appears to show how Strickland, who was in security during the game, used his arm to prevent Ujiri from getting onto the pitch to make sure he had the correct IDs.
As Ujiri approaches Strickland, he seems to be reaching for these IDs. Ujiri tries to walk past and Strickland pushes Ujiri before the two appear to be exchanging ideas.
CLOCK | Video shows argument between Ujiri, Sheriff’s deputy:
The new video released by attorneys for Raptor’s President Masai Ujiri shows him being pushed by a deputy sheriff as he tries to get onto the pitch to celebrate the team’s NBA championship last year. The MP claims that Ujiri was the instigator and sued him for injuries. 2:23
The video shows Strickland pushing Ujiri again, causing Ujiri to push Strickland back.
In the latest documents, Strickland’s attorneys said that if the MP had not used force, he would have risked Ujiri “potentially committing any number of potentially serious crimes”.
The document states that since it was a high profile sporting event, there was a risk of crime.
It lists examples, including the stinging of tennis star Monica Seles in 1993, the killing of Israeli athletes in the 1972 Munich Olympics, and the 2004 NBA brawl between the Detroit Pistons and the Indiana Pacers.
CLOCK | Raptor’s Head Coach Nurse Says Video “Self-explanatory”:
The Raptors trainer reacts to a new video showing Masai Ujiri being pushed by an Alameda County sheriff’s deputy. 3:33
Ujiri does not cooperate with officials, the document says
The document claims that Ujiri did not cooperate with officials.
“But just as Mr. Ujiri completely ignored the private security guard, he ignored Deputy Strickland’s words, gestures, and attempts to gently guide him,” the document reads.
The Strickland legal team had previously alleged that Ujiri’s counterclaim was due to race and prejudice against law enforcement.
The Raptors declined to comment.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
