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EXCLUSIVE: A federal civil rights complaint has been submitted to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against Los Angeles Dodgers and the investment company Guggenheim Partners for allegedly participating in “illegal discrimination” in accordance with “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” (DEI), in violation of title VII in Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The complaint was filed by America First Legal (AFL), the nonprofit conservative organization for general interest, against both units led by Mark Walter, the majority owner of Dodgers and CEO of Guggenheim Partners.
Walter recently became majority owner of Los Angeles Lakers in a historic $ 10 billion agreement with the bus family.
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Los Angeles Dodgers appointed hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) speaks as president of baseball operations Andrwe Friedman (left) and owner Mark Walter (Center) listens to Ohtani’s introductory press conference at Dodger Stadium. (Kirby Lee -usa Today Sports)
“Their employment practice, as described below, seems to discriminate against employees or potential employees, solely because of their skin color or gender. This is obviously illegal,” began AFL’s complaint delivered to Pakinomist Digital.
AFL’s complaint claims that Dodgers ‘and Guggenheim Partners’ employment practice are discriminatory because “even when using inclusive terminology,” used “to separate or classify employees or applicants into employment in ways that would deprive or tend to deprive people of hiring, education or campaigns because of their race, color, sex or national origin.”
The complaint continues to point out how Dodgers’ Dei site reads that it is “sponsorship programs aimed at women and people in color”, while also “embedding diversity, justice and inclusion strategies in all aspects of the organization.”
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AFL also questioned the DEI Mission declaration on Dodgers’ site.
The statement reads, “Our mission is to create a culture where different voices and experiences are appreciated, our people feel authorized by their connections to each other, and the team and all employees feel they can succeed.”
“Our fee is to direct and track influence, establish clear responsibility, reporting standards, ambitions goals and measurements of success,” said AFL.
AFL claimed that the team is using DEI in “quantifiable ways of identifiable goals to reach ‘success’, which seems to be involved in illegal discriminatory employment, training and recruitment.”
The complaint mentioned Dodgers, which allows employees to participate in several “business resource groups” (BRGS) in the organization, which gives the employees “a forum to gather with other employees who have common interests, identities and/or social problems.”
A general overview of the Outfield Plaza before the MLB game between Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta is broke at Dodger Stadium on May 5, 2024. (Kiyoshi Mio/USA Today Sports)
AFL’s complaint also exempted “Some of the BRGs seem to provide material employment services to employees based on their race, color, sex or national origin.” The complaint mentions Asian professionals, Black Action Network, Somos La, who “seems to provide Latino employees with employment services,” and Women’s Opportunity Network.
In addition, the complaint requested a study by Guggenheim Partners, which also has a “diversity and inclusion” page that DEI is playing a role in recruitment, professional development, contracting and more “throughout the company.”
“Guggenheim Partners make it clear that it defines’ diversity ‘to explicitly include considering’ protected class[es]’Including partial those based on race, gender, ethnicity, age, religion, creed, national origin, sexual orientation and gender identity,’ the complaint reads.
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The complaint points to Guggenheim Partners’ commitment to “expanding the pipeline diversity”, which says it wants to “develop diversity recruitment and talent management strategies to identify, attract, develop and maintain top talent.”
“When diversity motivates employment decisions and” diversity “refers to race, color, sex and national origin – as it does with Guggenheim partners – the result is illegal discrimination,” the complaint reads.
Guggenheim partners also run Dodgers also business development resource groups (BDRGS).
“The BDRGs are open to all employees, yet provide employment benefits based on special unchanging qualities and are intended to promote the company’s DEI targets,” the complaint reads and highlights “Women’s Innovation and Inclusion Network” and “Multicultural staff network” among them.
AFL suggests that EEOC can investigate application data and internal HR policies or practices for Dodgers and Guggenheim partners to “identify whether the policies refer to employment preferences based on race, color, gender and national origin in violation of federal legislation.”
Dodgers and Guggenheim Partners did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Pakinomist Digital.
US President Donald Trump is watching as team owner Mark Walter (L) speaks during an event honoring the World Series champion in 2024 Los Angeles Dodgers in the eastern space of the White House of Washington, DC, April 7, 2025. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed executive orders aimed at rolling back DEI initiatives, one of them includes directives for federal agencies to combat DEI in the private sector. MLB took a step to comply as they removed “diversity” references from their site in March.
“Our values for diversity remain unchanged,” MLB said in a statement at the time. “We are in the process of evaluating our programs for any changes to criteria for eligibility needed to ensure that our programs are in line with federal law as they proceed.”
New York Yankees remained obliged to push diversity and inclusion into its organization despite the national rollbacks by DEI and said in April that they “constantly work with the members of our diversity and inclusion committee and are actively engaged with our neighbors and social partners,” per. New York Daily News.
“Our dedication to these efforts remains unchanged and our diversity and inclusion committees continue to do its job,” said Senior Vice President of Business and Social Relations Brian Smith.
In October 2023, AFL submitted a federal civil rights complaint against MLB for racial discriminatory programs with EEOC. The complaint claimed that MLB’s official site presented at least four illegal employment and contracting programs with reference to the Diversity Pipeline program launched by Commissioner Rob Manfred in 2016.
Mark Walter and Los Angeles Dodgers face a complaint against civil rights. (IMagn)
General Services Administration (GSA) announced changes in February to the federal acquisition regulations (father), which was intended to adapt to the president’s executive order aimed at restoring the meritocracy and final discrimination in the public and private sector.
After an ownership meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, in February, Manfred said MLB would evaluate the interpretation of federal legislation.
“Our values, especially our values for diversity, remain unchanged. But another value that is pretty important to us is that we always try to comply with what the law is,” Manfred explained. “There seems to be a development that is going on here. We are following it very carefully.
“Of course, when things get a little more settled, we investigate each of our programs and make sure that while the values remain the same as we are also in line with what the law requires.”
