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Dearica Hamby and Las Vegas Aces drop lawsuit over pregnancy discrimination

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Las Vegas Aces and Dearica Hamby mutually agreed to dismiss her lawsuit against the WNBA club, according to a federal court filing Thursday.

Hamby, who now plays for the Los Angeles Sparks, sued the Aces and the league over alleged mistreatment because of her pregnancy at the time. A federal judge dismissed her lawsuit against the WNBA in May, saying Hamby failed to prove her allegations that the league failed to properly investigate the Aces.

Hamby filed the suit in August 2024 that alleged the Aces discriminated and retaliated against her, resulting in her January 2023 trade to the Sparks. The league and club filed motions to dismiss the lawsuit in September 2024.

The Aces and Hamby filed a motion Thursday with the U.S. District Court in Nevada to dismiss with prejudice, meaning it can’t be refiled. Each side is responsible for their attorneys’ fees.

Hamby told Front Office Sports she would not discuss the case’s outcome, but otherwise she stood “by what I said” in her lawsuit.

There was no immediate comment from the Aces.

Coach Becky Hammon previously asserted that Hamby was traded to Los Angeles to put the Aces in position to potentially sign likely future Hall of Famer Candace Parker.

“I’ve been in either the WNBA or the NBA for now 25 years,” Hammon said at the time. “I’ve never had an HR complaint. Never, not once. I still didn’t, actually, because Dearica didn’t file any. She didn’t file with the players’ union, she didn’t file with the WNBA. Those are facts.

“It’s also factual that nobody made a call about trading her until Atlanta called us in January (2023). That’s a fact. So … it just didn’t happen.”

Hamby, a three-time All-Star, averaged a career high 18.4 points last season as well as 7.9 rebounds. She was a two-time WNBA Sixth Player of the Year for the Aces.

The Aces are coming off their third WNBA championship in four seasons.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

NYPD says dozens rescued from human trafficking during World Cup

▶ Watch Video: Inside look at security preparations for World Cup Forty-three people, including seven minors, were rescued from human traffickers during the World Cup matches in the New York City area, according to the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit.The rescue operations were carried out between June 11 and July 19 by specialized NYPD detectives who arrested 89 individuals."The surprise was really the outpouring of support behind the mission and the collaboration with all our partners," said Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit.Those rescued, largely the victims of sex trafficking, are now being supported with an array of social services for the victims, including food, housing and counseling.The 87 operations carried out during the World Cup have generated new leads, officials said, and law enforcement agencies are building more cases based on the investigations already underway."We have ongoing investigations now as a result of these operations," an NYPD official told CBS News.Major sporting events are known to law enforcement as hotbeds of human trafficking.Years in advance, the NYPD devoted significant resources to preparing for the World Cup. Eight matches were played at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, including the final on Sunday."When we talk about the outreach and the prep we do, a large part of that involved visiting the known sex offenders, particularly the known human traffickers, in our registry," Marcus said. "Whether they're on parole or probation for human trafficking, we visited them to make sure they're compliant with the terms of their release, and secondly, to let them know that the NYPD is watching."The matches were held in multiple cities around the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Preparations to secure those games and prepare for crimes like human trafficking were coordinated between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.Police departments in many locations that hosted World Cup matches have made arrests and rescues connected to human trafficking, including in Georgia, New England and Missouri. Nationally, there were more than 673 arrests on human-trafficking charges made during the World Cup, and 61 adults and 13 minors rescued, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
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