Raiders lawsuits and claims from Oakland and Las Vegas since 2013

Lawsuits and complaints against the Raiders over the past decade contain various claims.

The number of charges is not unusual for a $3.4 billion NFL team, but the cases show a pattern of allegations of discrimination and violation of state labor laws. A Review-Journal investigation showed how a ‘boys club’ Raiders culture fueled turnover, lawsuits and harassment claims.

Below is a synopsis of each case:

June 2013: Bruce Kebric and Jon Kingdon, two former longtime scouts, ﬁled a lawsuit against the Raiders alleging age discrimination and breach of contract over their terminations. A civil jury sided with the Raiders.

2014: Beginning in January 2014, several Raiderettes sued the team, mostly over alleged labor violations. A cheerleader identiﬁed as Lacy T. (now Lacy Fields), a Raiderette during the 2013 season, was the ﬁrst to ﬁle, alleging that the team failed to pay minimum wage for all hours worked and all overtime compensation owed them. Ninety women who worked forthe team from 2010 to 2013 split a $1.25 million settlement.

November 2018: Rebecca Castillo ﬁled a lawsuit in California claiming discrimination. Castillo sought to dismiss the case in April 2019, and records show it was granted routinely by the clerk there.

November 2019: Former football scout Bradley Kaplan ﬁled a lawsuit alleging that he was demoted after telling the team that he and his wife were expecting a baby during the season. His new position required traveling, and when Kaplan requested family leave to care for his newborn and wife, he was ﬁred, his complaint states. Kaplan also claimed in his lawsuit that the Raiders required some football operations personnel to sign unlawful conﬁdentiality and nondisparagement agreements, which he said prevented employees from discussing matters related to their employment or raising concerns about working conditions. The Raiders denied these claims but agreed to a $25,000 settlement in 2021 covering the 65 past or present employees who signed contracts with such conﬁdentiality provisions between July 2018 and September 2021.

January 2020: Former Raiders employee Nicolle Reeder alleged in a lawsuit that the Raiders violated labor laws by failing to give her and other employees “premium” wages and denying them required rest periods and proper meal breaks. The case was settled last year for $325,000 and disbursed among more than 400 employees.

June 2020: Tom Shaw, a former Raiders assistant football coach, ﬁled a lawsuit against the Raiders for age discrimination and breach of contract. He claimed he was let go without good cause and the team owed him $1 million for the remaining two years of his three-year contract. A judge approved an arbitrator in the case last year.

November 2020: Nicole Adams, a former human resources employee of nearly six years, ﬁled a complaint with the Nevada Equal Rights Commission accusing the team of discriminating against her because of her race and retaliating against her after she reported concerns about pay disparity and unequal treatment. Her claims are still being investigated.

November 2021: Former Raiders Coach Jon Gruden ﬁled a lawsuit alleging “tortious interference,” claiming that the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell selectively leaked Gruden’s emails to force his removal on Oct. 11. On May 25, a Las Vegas judge denied a motion to dismiss the case. The lawsuit will continue to be litigated.

April 2022: Matthew Proscia, a former employee at The Raider Image, ﬁled a class-action lawsuit in Clark County District Court alleging the team’s apparel retail stores maintained an “unlawful policy” of failing to pay Nevada employees who work more than eight hours a day full overtime wages. The Raider Image has yet to respond to the complaint.

Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564. Follow @JGermanRJ on Twitter. Contact Briana Erickson at berickson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5244. Follow @ByBrianaE on Twitter.