Lawsuit details harassment, assault and intimidation by fired Detroit Pistons assistant GM

Detroit Bad Boys

Fired Detroit Pistons assistant GM Rob Murphy engaged in continued sexual harassment, an attempted sexual assault and regular isolation and manipulation, alleges a new lawsuit filed by Murphy’s former executive assistant DeJanai Raska.

Raska’s original allegations against Murphy led to the team placing him on leave in October while a law firm conducted a review. The team told the Detroit Free Press, who broke the news of Raska’s lawsuit, Murphy was fired after the newspaper inquired about his status.

The Free Press article is a tough read, and I would put a content warning on the story and the detailed allegations found in the lawsuit. The behavior alleged by Raska in the lawsuit is harrowing.

The problems began from the very beginning as Raska says Murphy encouraged her to apply for the executive assistant job despite the role already being filled, according to her lawsuit. That left her to be little more than a personal driver and babysitter for Murphy’s young son, the Free Press reports:

“After taking the job, she said she quickly learned that Murphy only wanted her for sex, alleging he also belittled her constantly, telling her the Pistons staff didn’t like her and often reminding her that she was in her role only because he put her there.”

Rasksa says she feared losing her job and believed Murphy was close to HR staff and they would not help her.

She detailed her allegations after having a lawyer contact the team in October, and she sat with Pistons’ lawyers for several hours detailing her allegations. She heard nothing form the team for months so she decided to sue both Murphy and the team.

“The organization condoned and approved and were complicit in what he did. And they were hoping that Ms. Raska would go away,” according to her lawyer.

The Detroit Free Press story recounts several of the alleged incidents, including:

  • Belittling her to her face and to other Pistons employees.
  • Regular comments about her clothing and her appearance.
  • Inappropriately asking her to pick up and watch his son, and when she informed another person in the Pistons organization this was happening, that individual yelled at her and told her to keep it quiet because it was a “liability.”
  • Touching of her breasts and genital areas.
  • Asking her if she wanted to perform oral sex on him
  • Constant touching of her legs and backside
  • Grabbing her and kissing her on the mouth while she was in Murphy’s home
  • Pushing her down on his bed, and when she pushed him away, she says he told her “Sex is sex. You think too much.”
  • Showing her he had an erection in multiple instances while working in the office.
  • Alleging he offered to let her travel with the team if she would sleep with him but “if you’re not ready for that, you’re not ready for travel.”
  • Put another woman on speakerphone where he discussed having sex with the woman.
  • An allegation Murphy was already sleeping with other women at work, including a director level employee of the team.
  • An allegation Murphy sent an email to HR indicating Raska resigned by choice when she says that was not the case.
  • Constant unwanted calls and texts even after she left the position.

The Pistons have indicated they will have no further comment on the separation from Murphy because it is a personnel matter, only releasing this statement when contacted by the Free Press:

“Rob Murphy no longer works for the Detroit Pistons or Motor City Cruise, in any capacity. Mr. Murphy was recently terminated for violation of company policy and the terms of his employment agreement,” the statement reads. “The facts that gave rise to his termination surfaced during a review, assisted by a national law firm, of allegations made by a former employee.”

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