Lawyers for the Alameda, Calif., sheriff’s deputy at the heart of lawsuits and countersuits with Raptors president Masai Ujiri now charge race is behind Ujiri’s latest claim.
In filings submitted to the court Tuesday, lawyers for Alan Strickland say Ujiri is “taking advantage of the now pervasive anti-law enforcement prejudices and to falsely allege racial animus and prejudicial bias is the reason for Strickland’s conduct on the date of the incident.”
The counterclaim also says Ujiri’s assertion that he had on the proper credential to enter the court after Toronto’s NBA championship-clinching win in June 2019 was “also a wilful attempt to mislead the media and the public and taint the jury pool.