Former Kings Employee Files Civil Lawsuit Against the Team

As the offseason hits the slow period for on-court news, the Sacramento Kings had an off-court headline come up.

According to a report from ESPN, former Sacramento Kings trainer Crystal Lee filed a civil complaint against the organization in Sacramento Superior Court. Lee filed suit against the Sacramento Kings Limited Partnership and Jaspreet Randhawa, Senior Director of Athletic Health for the Kings.

A former assistant athletic trainer for the Sacramento Kings has filed a civil lawsuit against the organization and its senior director of athlete health, alleging pregnancy discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation and wrongful termination, according to court documents.…
— ESPN (@espn) August 20, 2026

In the lawsuit, Lee asserts eight claims, including pregnancy discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, and wrongful termination. The Kings’ attorneys have denied all allegations. Alexis Gabrielson, counsel for the Kings, gave the following statement to ESPN:

“The Sacramento Kings categorically deny these allegations and reject the characterization of the organization and its workplace reflected in these claims made by a former disgruntled employee. The Kings take allegations of discrimination and harassment seriously and are committed to maintaining a workplace where all employees are treated with dignity and respect. The organization intends to vigorously defend against these claims through the legal process and will not comment further on the pending proceedings.”

Lee worked for the Kings as an athletic trainer from 2022 until 2025, when she was fired. During this time, Lee alleges that she was demoted twice—once when the team chose not to bring her with the team on road games after she gave birth, and again when it dropped athletic trainer from her job title altogether. She was ultimately fired on June 12, 2025.

Scott Perry's involvement

General Manager Scott Perry is not named as a defendant in the complaint, but allegedly met with Lee several times near the end of her tenure in Sacramento, including the June 12, 2025 meeting when she was fired. The complaint made the following allegation:

"During an introductory meeting with [Scott] Perry in April, Perry had assured Ms. Lee that he wanted to create a safe space for her to talk and share her concerns. However, when Ms. Lee brought her concerns to him, Perry's tune changed. Like Jabour, Perry absolved himself of any responsibility, saying that any issues predated him and he would not make any changes to what had already been decided.

"He also told Ms.. Lee that 'complainers will not be tolerated.' Perry also suggested that if complaints continued in her department, he would just 'fire everybody.' That response—from the team's highest ranking official—left Ms. Lee feeling like she had a bigger target on her back."

Doug Christie's involvement

Apr 3, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie during the first quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Golden 1 Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Current Kings head coach Doug Christie is also mentioned in the complaint but not named as a defendant. The complaint made the following allegation:

"For example, Doug Christie, an Assistant Coach for the Kings (and later named Interim Head Coach in approximately December 2024), repeatedly harassed Ms. Lee by checking her out. On multiple occasions, Christie glanced up and down her figure, ending his inspection of her body by saying, 'Don't report me to HR.' Christie's comments, which suggested that Christie knew just how inappropriate his behavior was yet still chose to engage in it, made Ms. Lee deeply uncomfortable."

In a quote obtained by ESPN, Lee’s attorney said, “We have made prior efforts to resolve this matter with the Kings that were unsuccessful. We did attend a mediation with the Kings in an effort to resolve this.”

It is obviously still very early in this process, and civil litigation is a marathon. The full complaint can be found on the Sacramento County Superior Court website.

Follow us on Facebook and X for the latest Sacramento Kings news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google