Lawyers for Masai Ujiri filed a counterclaim in an Oakland court Tuesday, citing the Toronto Raptors president was subjected to an “unprovoked and unnecessary use of excessive force” in his response to a lawsuit from a California sheriff’s deputy stemming from a June 2019 incident following Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
The 108-page counterclaim, filed in U.S. District Court in Oakland, includes the NBA, the Raptors and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment as co-plaintiffs with Ujiri.
It said a body-cam video included in the filing shows Ujiri was not the aggressor in an altercation with Alan Strickland, a sheriff’s deputy with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.
Strickland was acting as a guard near the Oracle Arena court on the night the Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors to win the first championship in franchise history. He tried to prevent Ujiri from going on the court to take part in the celebration, later claiming Ujiri didn’t have proper credentials.
The counterclaim says that the edited video shows Ujiri attempting to pull out his all-access team credential as he approaches Strickland and the court.
Strickland then grabs Ujiri by the jacket, pushing him and telling him to “back the f-- up.”
Ujiri asks Strickland why he pushed him, identifying himself as the Raptors president and producing his credential again as the two exchange words.
“After being shoved and cursed at, Mr. Ujiri did not respond aggressively toward Mr. Strickland . . . Rather than trying to communicate with Mr. Ujiri, Mr. Strickland chose to dismiss Mr. Ujiri’s claim that he was the Raptors’ president and ignore the all-access credential Mr. Ujiri was trying to show him. Mr. Strickland then forcefully shoved Mr. Ujiri a second time.
“Only after being unjustifiably told to ‘back the f-- up’ and shoved twice did Mr. Ujiri show any response and return a shove to Mr. Strickland’s chest. Mr Ujiri’s defensive response was a reasonable and justified reaction to Mr. Strickland’s use of unnecessary and excessive force.”
The edited video, which includes overhead shots of Ujiri’s path to the court and Strickland, eventually shows Raptors guard Kyle Lowry pulling Ujiri to the court to celebrate.
“We are mindful this remains before the courts, but we have always maintained that the claims made against Masai are baseless and entirely without merit,” a Raptors spokesperson said in a statement late Tuesday night.
“We believe this video evidence shows exactly that — Masai was not an aggressor, but instead was the recipient of two very violent, unwarranted actions. The events of that evening cast a pall over what should have been a night of celebration, and the year since. While Masai has the full backing of Raptors and MLSE as he fights this injustice, we are aware that not all people have similar support and resources. This is a spurious legal action that MLSE, the NBA, and especially Masai should not be facing.”
After a lengthy police probe into the incident, the possibility of criminal prosecution was dismissed. In February, however, Strickland filed a suit alleging he was battered and assaulted, suffering injuries to his head, jaw and teeth.
He and his wife, Kelly Strickland, are seeking US$75,000 in general damages as well as other compensation, including punitive damages, lost wages, current and future medical expenses and legal costs. Strickland also filed a workers’ compensation claim, which alleged Ujiri “circumvented” the security checkpoint and tried to hit him in the face and chest with both fists.
“Alameda County Sheriff’s deputy Alan Strickland is perpetrating a fraud against Masai Ujiri, the Toronto Raptors, the NBA, and the California Division of Workers’ Compensation by falsely claiming he was injured during a brief encounter with Toronto Raptors’ President, Masai Ujiri, after Game 6 of the NBA Finals,” the lawsuit states.
“There is, however, no objective evidence to support Mr. Strickland’s alleged injuries and video evidence, including footage from Mr. Strickland’s body camera, 1 shows Mr. Strickland subjected Mr. Ujiri to an unprovoked and unnecessary use of excessive force.”
The counterclaim goes on to state Strickland’s version of the 11-second encounter with Ujiri is a “complete fabrication.”
“Sadly, Mr. Strickland’s dishonest account of the encounter is a narrative that has become somewhat familiar: a law enforcement officer using their position, engages in unjustified violence against a peaceful individual, then lies about the encounter by characterizing the victim as the aggressor,” reads the counterclaim.
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“To be sure, the great majority of law enforcement officers do not conduct themselves in this way. Mr. Strickland, however, has chosen dishonesty over integrity. Motivated by greed (and perhaps revenge), Mr. Strickland continues to lie about his encounter with Mr. Ujiri in an attempt to support his frivolous lawsuit.”
The counterclaim includes statements from three witnesses who claim Ujiri did not strike Strickland with closed fists or hit him in the face.
Strickland was previously charged with insurance fraud and making false statements in 1994, the counterclaim states, citing court records that say “he purposefully damaged his own vehicle and then submitted a claim to his insurer for the damage he intentionally caused, and ultimately pled guilty to misdemeanor insurance fraud in December 2005.”
“Despite his criminal conviction, Strickland continues to make false claims.”
The Star has reached out to attorneys for Strickland with a request for comment.
https://news.google.com/__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?oc=5
2020-08-19 15:21:45Z
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