The Los Angeles Clippers and a former trainer who sued the organization, alleging he was wrongfully fired for complaining that the team was subjecting Kawhi Leonard to “unsafe and illegal treatment,” have agreed to first try and settle the case through mediation, then send it to arbitration if mediation fails.
Randy Shelton’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit allegations also include retaliation, whistleblower retaliation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. On Friday, Judge Stephen Pfahler signed an order reflecting an agreement between Shelton to stay the case and have retired Judge Richard Stone, depending on his availability, preside over mediation.
If the issues are not resolved, the case will be sent to arbitration and any award Shelton receives there will run from the date of the arbitration and not from the October 2024 date on which he filed the lawsuit.
Earlier this month, the Clippers filed a motion to compel arbitration, contending that Shelton is bound by his original hiring agreement to resolve employment disputes before an arbitrator rather than a jury.
“Despite plaintiff’s assertion that he would honor the terms of [his] employment agreements and live up to his obligations and duties, plaintiff filed his claims in the form of a civil lawsuit to make a public spectacle and to defame defendants with statements that he knows or should know are false,” Clipper attorneys state in their court papers.
Shelton “gloated” during his deposition that millions of people saw his lawsuit the day it was filed, the team lawyers further state.
In a sworn declaration, Lawrence Frank, the Clippers president for basketball operations, stated that Shelton signed his employment agreement in 2021 and was not rushed into reviewing it or prevented from having a lawyer examine the document. To the contrary, Shelton said he had his attorney look at the employment agreement, according to Frank.
According to Shelton’s suit, he was fired for speaking out against the “unsafe and illegal treatment” of Leonard, in disregard for the player’s health and safety and known medical restrictions.
The team previously issued a statement regarding the lawsuit.
“Mr. Shelton’s claims were investigated and found to be without merit,” the statement read. “We honored Mr. Shelton’s employment contract and paid him in full. This lawsuit is a belated attempt to shake down the Clippers based on accusations that Mr. Shelton should know are false.”
The Clippers hired Shelton in July 2019, convincing him to leave his previous position at San Diego State University, and the plaintiff’s arrival “was the culmination of a multiyear campaign by the L.A. Clippers to sign Leonard,” the suit states.
After Leonard himself left San Diego State years before, he hired Shelton to help him get ready for the NBA.
The suit alleges that the Clippers “sought to ride Leonard’s back to success, in disregard for the load placed upon Leonard’s failing knees and ankle” as well as paying no attention to the psychological harm to Shelton, according to the suit.
Despite Leonard’s suffering of additional ankle injuries in November 2022 that should have been red flags that additional healing time was needed, team officials “demanded productivity now, circumventing Shelton and excluding Shelton from pertinent information regarding Leonard’s prognosis and care,” the suit alleges.
Shelton was fired in 2023.
A status conference on arbitration is scheduled for May 27, 2026.