Two former Golden State Warriors employees have sued the NBA franchise, alleging gender, age and race-based discrimination, workplace harassment and retaliation tied to their terminations.
The lawsuit, filed last week in San Francisco County Superior Court, alleges that Lisa Shelley, known professionally as Lisa Meyer, and Jennifer Vasquez encountered a workplace “marked by discrimination, hostility, and retaliation.” Shelley served as the Warriors’ associate general counsel and director of business and legal affairs and risk management, and Vasquez was the vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Shelley and Vasquez allege they suffered “humiliation, emotional distress, embarrassment, and mental and physical pain and anguish,” and they are seeking damages and “permanent injunctive relief in the form of an order” to stop the franchise from further discrimination against employees.
“Plaintiffs were drawn to the GSW, in part, because San Francisco is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the country, and a national bastion for human rights,” the lawsuit reads. “The culturally responsible, family-oriented environment that Plaintiffs Vasquez and Shelley expected when they joined GSW was far from what they endured.”
Shelley also alleges she lost a job offer from the LA Clippers this year after the Warriors “made false and disparaging statements” when contacted for a reference. According to the lawsuit, Shelley received a conditional offer of employment in June that was withdrawn days before her scheduled start date. The Clippers declined to comment Tuesday.
“Golden State prides itself on its commitment to maintaining an inclusive environment grounded in mutual respect and professionalism,” the Warriors said Tuesday in a statement to The Athletic. “We take all workplace concerns seriously. The lawsuit filed by two former employees contains allegations that are false, misleading, and unsupported by credible evidence. Many of the allegations have been previously reviewed or investigated and found to be without merit.
“Golden State intends to vigorously defend against these baseless claims and is confident that an examination of the facts will confirm that Golden State, its leadership, and the employees targeted in this lawsuit have at all times operated with the highest levels of integrity and fairness.”
Shelley, hired by the Warriors in 2021, alleges the team passed her over for multiple promotions despite securing corporate partnerships worth more than $4 million during her tenure, among other accomplishments, including being named employee of the month. She claimed the Warriors promoted a younger male with less experience over her.
“GSW’s promotion process requires each candidate’s photograph to be displayed to the Senior Leadership Team (“SLT”) during a closed-session vote, and employees have been denied promotion based on subjective criteria such as ‘likability’ or ‘fit’, which often translates to physical appearance and how they fit into the GSW aesthetic,” the lawsuit reads.
Vasquez began her role as vice president of DEI in January 2022 and alleges that within a month she experienced a “climate of isolation and intimidation in which her ideas were routinely dismissed.”
Vasquez alleges a colleague asked her birth year during a team meeting and says she was laughed at for being over 40. She observed an “overly amorous and unprofessional atmosphere among members of senior leadership,” among other instances that made her uncomfortable. The lawsuit alleges that others within the organization shared similar discomfort, but Vasquez was advised that she would need to “play the game” to succeed at the franchise.
In a 2025 anonymous, NBA-wide employee engagement survey, the Warriors’ legal, finance, accounting and people operations departments scored “poorly,” the lawsuit states. Former senior vice president of people and culture Erin Dangerfield, now Golden State’s chief people officer, allegedly questioned Vasquez about her responses in the survey.
Shelley heard of the matter and reported it internally. An internal investigation found no wrongdoing on Dangerfield’s part, and shortly after, in December 2025, Shelley was told the legal department was being “reimagined,” resulting in her termination, according to the lawsuit.
Shelley alleges her superior, Woodie Dixon, Golden State’s chief legal officer, was not present for her termination meeting, violating team policy.
Less than two weeks after Shelley’s firing, Dangerfield informed Vasquez the Warriors were eliminating their DEI function, along with her position. The lawsuit alleges the franchise asked Vasquez to “characterize her departure as voluntary, consistent with a practice GSW allegedly applied to departing senior employees.” Vasquez declined to do so. She was terminated in January.
Both Shelley and Vasquez allege a negative workplace culture for women. Dangerfield “regularly criticized female employees’ bodies, physical appearance, and wardrobe choices,” the lawsuit claims, noting that women of color and those with larger body types were disproportionately targeted.
“Early in Plaintiff Vasquez’s employment, during a one-on-one meeting, Dangerfield told Plaintiff Vasquez that women who wanted to work in professional sports often did so because they were ‘jersey chasers,’ referring to women who sought employment in sports to pursue romantic or sexual attention from professional athletes,” the lawsuit reads.
Shelley and Vasquez allege that, in raising concerns over the workplace environment, the franchise’s “leadership sought to identify employees who had provided critical responses,” eventually resulting in their terminations.
Justice Ojo, the attorney for both women, filed a judicial summons Thursday. The franchise has 30 days from that date to respond.
— Nick Friedell contributed to this report