Raptors president Masai Ujiri wasn’t charged after being accused of hitting sheriff’s deputy in face while trying to reach the court during Toronto’s championship celebration last June in Oakland.
But he could still face civil consequences.
Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star:In a federal lawsuit filed Friday in California, sheriff’s deputy Alan Strickland says Ujiri hit him in the face and chest with both fists during an altercation near the court
The suit claims Strickland suffered serious injuries to his body and nervous system that will result in a “permanent disability.”
The suit claims Ujiri’s actions were “foreseeable” based on what it cites as Ujiri’s “previous altercations involving similar circumstances.” The Raptors, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment and the NBA were also named in the suit. They’re all accused of failing to warn the plaintiff of Ujiri’s “violent predisposition” and “propensity for physical violence prior to his assault on (Strickland).”
The suit, which seeks medical expenses, lost wages and other damages, also accuses the defendants of failing to “provide adequate safety and security to the public” and “failing to post signs warning of danger, including the danger of Masai Ujiri.”If nothing else, “the danger of Masai Ujiri” is some turn of phrase.