Judge Denies Petition to Depose Mark Cuban in Racial Discrimination Case

A judge has shot down a petition to have Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban deposed in a racial discrimination case, saying people closely related to the alleged incident need to be questioned, according to NBC DFW.

Per the report, former American Airlines Center employee Michelle Newsome wanted Cuban deposed. She has alleged wrongful termination and racial and sex discrimination.

Tony Cooper, a current American Airlines Center employee, testified at a hearing on Friday that he saw a noose in a closet at the arena. “I walked into the IT closet and saw hanging from the wall was a noose,” he said, according to the station.

Cooper claimed he showed managers the noose but wasn’t taken seriously. He ultimately talked to Cuban and showed him the rope.

“I took him into the closet and showed it to him and he looked at it, shook his head, rolled his eyes, walked over, took it down, walked out of the room and threw the door and threw it in the trash and went to his suite,” he said.

He added that he went to human resources, but the Mavericks organization did not take action against employees or provide any type of sensitivity training, according to Fox 4.