Newark Star-Ledger sportswriter Dan Garcia filed a
lawsuit yesterday seeking damages from the March 20 "verbal
attack" by Nets coach John Calipari, according to Adam
Zagoria in the STAR-LEDGER. The suit charges Calipari and
the Nets with four counts, including "infliction of
emotional distress, assault and negligence," over the
incident in which Calipari called the Mexican-American
Garcia a "(expletive) Mexican idiot." The suit, which did
not ask for a specific amount in damages, did ask for
compensatory and punitive damages, "as well as any other
relief deemed proper." Garcia's attorney, Kenneth McElwee,
said research "has revealed verdicts in excess of $5 million
in cases that are not as egregious as the facts in this
case." In a statement, the Nets called the action "nothing
more than an opportunistic ploy to extract money for
absolutely no legal reason" (STAR-LEDGER, 7/15). According
to the suit, the Nets were included in the action because
the team "either knew, or should have known, of Calipari's
history of rageful behavior, verbal abuse, intimidation and
control of others" (Michael James, N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 7/15).
