DETROIT (WXYZ) — A former Detroit Pistons employee is suing the team and a former executive in federal court for alleged sexual harrasment that took place when she was with the team.
The civil rights lawsuit was filed Friday by attorneys from the Royal Oak-based law firm of Pitt, McGehee, Palmer, Bonanni & Rivers, on behalf of DeJanai Raska, who claims in the suit that former assistant general manager Rob Murphy "sexually harassed and brutally assaulted her."
According to the lawsuit, Raska was hired in September 2021 and worked under Murphy with the Piston's G League team, the Motor City Cruise. The suit claims that Murphy "degraded and demeaned her" after she refused his sexual advances, warned her about reporting the incident to human resources because "she would not be believed because of his tight relationship with its director" and retaliated with her being tasked with "picking up his son up from school and caring for him" along with her responsibilities as an executive assistant.
According to the suit, Raska left the Pistons in June of 2022. A previous suit was filed in Wayne County Circuit Court last year; according to case records, a settlement conference is set for July.
Both the Detroit Pistons and attorneys representing Raska could not be immediately reached for comment Friday evening.
Detroit Pistons and Rob Murphy lawsuit by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit on Scribd
