The Seattle Times reports that the lawsuit states Mather, after hearing Martin’s complaints about Dipoto, vowed to address the matter and put a stop to what Mather viewed as bullying.
And the lawsuit says Dipoto blamed Latino players for ruining the team’s clubhouse culture and a second-half collapse that left the Mariners out of the playoffs for the 17th consecutive season.
The Mariners have denied Martin’s allegations and Major League Baseball is investigating.
The Mariners, in responding to Martin’s social-media posts, had termed her accusations “outrageous” and “false” and said she hadn’t made any of the allegations “until after she was relieved of her duties” in October.
The lawsuit says that in July, Dipoto and manager Scott Servais “took affirmative measures to undermine and harm” star pitcher Hernandez by “messing with” his mental state. The Mariners throughout that month had let it be known they were contemplating pulling Hernandez from the rotation and putting him in the bullpen — which they finally did in early August.
Martin says Hernandez had asked the Mariners to allow her to accompany the team on a late June trip to New York, Boston and Baltimore to train him, and that Dipoto refused. The pitcher subsequently injured his back.
The lawsuit seeks to force the team to implement policies that provide equal opportunities to all employees. She also wants compensation for past and future financial losses, as well as full severance benefits for a three-year contract that was to have run through October 2020.
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