L.A. Sparks says Byears lawsuit lacks merit

Los Angeles Sparks officials are rebutting a lawsuit filed by a former player who claims she was unfairly cut by the team. The WNBA team said Thursday that the suit by Latasha Byears has no legal basis. "Our position is that the claims by Ms. Byears, and the lawsuit she has filed, are without merit," the team said in a statement. Byears filed a wrongful termination suit Wednesday in Los Angeles superior court claiming that sexual orientation and gender discrimination led to her dismissal. She was cut from the team five days after a June 2003 party at which she and three men were said to have assaulted a woman, a former teammate. Prosecutors said at the time that there had been an investigation, but no one was arrested and no charges were ever filed. Byears, who helped lead the Sparks to two league championships, is asking for general, punitive, and special damages including actual and future lost earnings and benefits.