A Native American woman who worked for the Chicago Blackhawks is accusing the team of breach of oral contract, fraud and sexual harassment in a new lawsuit filed Tuesday night in the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Nina Sanders, a respected curator, writer, and cultural consultant, was hired by the Blackhawks in 2020 to help build relationships with the Native American community. In an exclusive interview with CBS News Chicago, Sanders says she feels “abused, traumatized, used” after her time working with the team.
In the 33-page lawsuit, Sanders says she spoke with Chicago Blackhawks CEO Danny Wirtz prior to accepting the role with the organization about the team’s logo, stating “I told him that it was racist. That it was offensive because it was a caricature of a real person; a man who actually fought on behalf of his own people and lost so many lives in that process.” Sanders said one of her first initiatives was to build a relationship between the team and Black Hawk’s tribe, the Sac and Fox Nation, who had previously opposed the team’s use of the logo.
Sanders says she arranged a meeting between the Sac and Fox Nation leaders and Wirtz in May of 2021 and said she believed that the Blackhawks would change their logo, based on the conversations she had with Wirtz. But in August of 2021, the tribe and the team formed a partnership and the Sac and Fox Nation reversed their stance and supported the Blackhawks use of their current logo. Sanders said in the CBS Chicago interview that she felt used by the organization to build relationships and then was forced out of her role.
Blackhawks CEO Danny Wirtz declined to be interviewed by CBS Chicago. Tribal leaders with the Sac and Fox Nation also declined the opportunity to speak with CBS Chicago but provided copies of their resolutions.
Sanders alleges breach of oral contract and fraud against the Blackhawks, as well as sexual harassment and violation of the Gender Violence Act, among other allegations in her lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges that in 2022, Sanders was sexually harassed by a man working for the organization. This person is accused of “inappropriate sexual advances,” touching her “without her consent”, and also of sending her unwanted “sexually explicit videos of him” on Snapchat, according to the lawsuit. It also states Sanders verbally reported two other incidents of women being groped at Blackhawks events by men working with the organization.
Sanders alleges she complained about the incidents to her supervisor, the director of the team’s charitable arm, the Chicago Blackhawks Foundation. But the lawsuit says nothing was done, and instead the team attempted to silence her by changing her role and moving her out of the United Center. The Blackhawks were notified that a lawsuit was coming after Sanders’ lawyers sent a letter to lawyers representing the Chicago Blackhawks in July of 2023, saying they planned to sue.
Sanders’ lawsuit also claims Wirtz, the organization, and its charity committed fraud by misrepresenting their promises about changing the logo and other Native American initiatives, to convince her to take the job.
Lee Jacobson and Nicholas Economakos are representing Nina Sanders.
The Chicago Blackhawks provided this statement to CBS Chicago:
Addressing our commitments with the Native American community:
Our organizational commitment to Native American communities extends beyond our walls. For more than a decade, the Chicago Blackhawks have worked to deepen relationships and align our efforts with our namesake Black Hawk’s ancestral tribe, the Sac & Fox Nation, and other Native American communities. Presently, we engage five formal partners and more than 15 advisory relationships to help guide our programming. This work includes grant programs, collaborative exhibits and installations, language preservation projects, game day materials, our land acknowledgement and resources invested in identifying future opportunities.
As part of these collaborations, community leaders, elected council members and a formal advisory committee help establish our organization’s priorities, regularly evaluating our collaborative action in support of the Native American people and their culture. We are as committed as ever to this partnership and look forward to sharing details on upcoming initiatives, their community impact and furthering the education of our fans and the general public.
In response to Ms. Sanders work contract with the Chicago Blackhawks:
From 2020 to 2023, Ms. Sanders assisted the Chicago Blackhawks Native American efforts as an independent contractor, one of many partners and advisors in a support function. As part of her role, Ms. Sanders was asked to support specific initiatives in partnership with the Sac & Fox Nation and other Native American communities. Although the Chicago Blackhawks valued the consulting relationship with Ms. Sanders, the organization had noted operational issues in her work, and had received feedback from external partners that they did not want to continue to work with her. As such, in June 2023, based on specific initiatives slated for the upcoming season, the organization made an effort to extend her contract, with very specific deliverables, commensurate with work and responsibilities needed. Although initially agreeable to the new terms, Ms. Sanders ultimately made the decision not to renew her contract and has not worked with the organization since.
After contract negotiations dissolved, Ms. Sanders shared her frustrations with the organization over the working relationship, and introduced noted allegations, none of which had been shared by Ms. Sanders at any time during her engagement with the Chicago Blackhawks. Notably, shortly prior to her contract ending, Ms. Sanders shared correspondence with Chicago Blackhawks executives, praising the organization for their efforts with Native American communities alongside the leaders responsible for that work.
As a point of clarity, the Chicago Blackhawks have had working relationships with members of the Sac & Fox Nation for more than 10 years. This relationship ultimately led to the formal partnership discussions with Sac & Fox Nation that began in 2020.
In response to harassment allegations made by Ms. Sanders:
The Chicago Blackhawks have a zero tolerance policy for misconduct and take allegations of harassment in the workplace very seriously. In response to Ms. Sanders’ allegations, the organization immediately conducted a thorough investigation with the assistance of outside counsel, including interviews with internal and external parties, and review of pertinent materials and digital records. Based on the information available to us, we found insufficient evidence to substantiate her claims. Of note, the persons identified by Ms. Sanders in your question are not, and have never been, independent contractors with nor employees of the Chicago Blackhawks.
