Elgin Baylor Lost His Lawsuit Against the Clippers

The Hall of Famer’s high-profile wrongful termination suit was rejected unanimously by a jury. The LA Times reports: “The jury of seven men and five women voted ‘no’ to all of Baylor’s claims that the Clippers, owner Donald T. Sterling and team President Andy Roeser oversaw a hostile workplace. Baylor, now 76, alleged he was harassed and subjected to age discrimination leading to his 2008 departure after 22 years as a Clippers executive. The jury deliberated for less than four hours. ‘We just didn’t feel the action taken by the Clippers was based on Mr. Baylor’s age as much as they felt it was just time to make a change in that position,’ jury foreman John Casani said. ‘That team hadn’t been performing, and we felt had they been succeeding like the Boston Celtics, he’d still be on the job.’ Baylor, the Clippers’ longtime head of player personnel as general manager and executive vice president, sought nearly $2 million in economic and mental distress damages after filing a wrongful-termination lawsuit two years ago that included claims of racism. The racism claim was dropped before the trial. Baylor declined to comment outside the courtroom, and his attorney, Alvin J. Pittman, said he was considering an appeal.”