Lawyers Challenge Dodgers and Guggenheim’s DEI Initiatives as Unlawful Discrimination
America First Legal (AFL) has filed a federal civil rights complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Guggenheim Partners, alleging that their ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI) initiatives constitute unlawful discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The complaint, obtained by Fox News Digital, claims that the organizations’ DEI programs are using inclusive language to mask segregation and discriminatory practices against employees based on race, color, sex, and national origin. The complaint points to specific DEI initiatives by the Dodgers, such as Business Resource Groups (BRGs), and Guggenheim Partners’ DEI strategies, accusing them of providing employment benefits based on immutable characteristics like race and gender.
Mark Walter, the majority owner of the Dodgers and CEO of Guggenheim Partners, is at the center of the controversy, as the complaint was filed by AFL, a nonprofit conservative public interest organization. Walter recently became the majority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers in a $10 billion deal, adding to the scrutiny of his business practices. The AFL claims that the DEI programs are implemented in ‘quantifiable ways with identifiable goals to achieve ‘success,’ which appear to entail engaging in unlawful discriminatory hiring, training, and recruitment.’
The complaint highlights specific DEI initiatives by the Dodgers, including their emphasis on programs targeting women and people of color, while also embedding DEI strategies into every aspect of the organization. AFL argues that such initiatives, although framed as inclusive, are in fact discriminatory. The complaint points out that the Dodgers’ DEI website states that they are ‘sponsoring programs geared to women and people of color’ while also ’embedding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategies into every aspect of the organization.’
The ACLU’s complaint also takes issue with the DEI mission statement on the Dodgers’ site, which reads, ‘Our mission is to create a culture where diverse voices and experiences are valued, our people feel empowered by their connections to each other, and the Team and all employees feel they can succeed.’ AFL argues that the use of such terminology is a cover for unlawful discrimination, as the DEI initiatives are being used to target employees based on their race, color, sex, or national origin.
The complaint further mentions the Dodgers allowing employees to join multiple BRGs within the organization, which provides employees a forum to gather with other employees who hold common interests, identities, and/or social issues. AFL’s complaint also takes exception to some of the BRGs that appear to provide material employment benefits to employees based on their race, color, sex, or national origin. The complaint mentions the Asian Professionals, Black Action Network, SOMOS La, which ‘appears to provide Latino employees with employment benefits,’ and the Women’s Opportunity Network.
In addition to the Dodgers, Guggenheim Partners is also named as a defendant in the complaint. The complaint asserts that Guggenheim Partners’ DEI initiatives are similarly涉嫌 unlawful discrimination, citing their commitment to ‘Broadening Pipeline Diversity’ and their stated intent to ‘develop diversity recruiting and talent management strategies to identify, attract, develop, and retain top talent.’ The complaint highlights the firm’s DEI page, which states that ‘diversity’ includes considerations of ‘protected class[es]’ including, in part, those based on race, gender, ethnicity, age, religion, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, and gender identity.’
The AFL’s complaint suggests that the EEOC can investigate application data and internal HR policies or practices of the Dodgers and Guggenheim Partners to ‘identify whether the policies make explicit reference to employment preferences based on race, color, sex, and national origin in violation of federal law.’ The Dodgers and Guggenheim Partners did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed executive orders aimed at rolling back DEI initiatives, with one of them including directives for federal agencies to combat DEI in the private sector. MLB took a step to comply, as they removed ‘diversity’ references from their website in March. MLB stated that their values on diversity remain unchanged, but they are in the process of evaluating their programs for any modifications to eligibility criteria needed to ensure compliance with federal law.
The New York Yankees remained committed to pushing diversity and inclusion within its organization despite the national rollbacks of DEI, saying in April that they are ‘continually working with the members of our Diversity and Inclusion Committee and are actively engaged with our neighbors and community partners,’ per the New York Daily News. Senior vice president of corporate and community relations Brian Smith said, ‘Our dedication towards these efforts remains unchanged, and our Diversity and Inclusion Committee continues to do its work.’
In October 2023, AFL filed a federal civil rights complaint against MLB for racially discriminatory programs, alongside the EEA. The complaint claimed MLB’s official website presented at least four unlawful employment and contracting programs, citing the Diversity Pipeline Program, which commissioner Rob Manfred launched in 2016. The General Services Administration (GSA) announced changes in February to the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) meant to align with the president’s executive order aimed at restoring meritocracy and ending discrimination in the public and private sectors.
Following an owners meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, in February, Manfred said MLB would be evaluating the interpretation of federal law. ‘Our values, particularly our values on diversity, remain unchanged. But another value that is pretty important to us is we always try to comply with what the law is,’ Manfred explained. ‘There seems to be an evolution going on here. We’re following that very carefully. Obviously, when things get a little more settled, we’ll examine each of our programs and make sure that while the values remain the same that we’re also consistent with what the law requires.’
Fox News’ Jasmine Baehr and Jackson Thompson contributed to this report. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.