Byears Sues Sparks Over Her Release

Former Spark player Latasha Byears, who was waived by the team in 2003 and later investigated in an alleged sexual assault of a former teammate, has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the Sparks and the Los Angeles Lakers Inc., which owns the Sparks’ franchise.

In the suit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Byears accuses the Sparks of terminating her “after someone, and not the former Sparks player, made a false and completely unsubstantiated claim that [Byears] and others had sexually assaulted the former Sparks player.”

Byears was under investigation by Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives for several weeks after reports of an alleged assault of the former Spark player during a party in Byears’ apartment June 5, 2003. So far there have been no arrests or charges filed in the case.

Byears came to the Sparks in the 2001 season after an off-season trade with Sacramento. She has not played in the WNBA since being waived.

Byears, who says in the suit that she is a lesbian, claims she was waived in part because of her sexual orientation. She is seeking unspecified monetary damages.

Spark President Johnny Buss, when contacted Wednesday, said that he was unaware the suit had been filed and that he could not comment until he had read it.

Neither Scott Ames nor Steven Serratore, the attorneys for Byears, could be reached for comment Wednesday evening.