Chicago's NHL team accused of fraud, sexual harassment by Indigenous consultant

A consultant hired by Chicago's NHL team to improve relationships with American Indigenous tribes has filed a lawsuit accusing the team, its charity foundation and its CEO of fraud, breach of contract and sexual harassment.

Nina Sanders filed the civil action late Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court. She alleges in the lawsuit that Chicago was facing intense public pressure to change their name and logo in 2020. The team's CEO, Dan Wirtz, hired her that year to serve as a tribal liaison.

Wirtz promised that he would create positions for Indigenous Americans, buy land to give to the Sac and Fox Nation and change the team's logo if she decided to accept the job, according to the lawsuit. She took the job based on those promises, but Wirtz never followed through on any of it, the lawsuit alleges.

Wirtz ended Sanders' contract last summer, according to the lawsuit.

A team spokesperson didn't immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press on Wednesday afternoon seeking comment.

Chicago said in a statement to WBBM-TV that the organization noted "operational issues" in Sanders' work, and external partners told the team that they didn't want to work with her. The team still extended her a new contract in 2023, but Sanders chose not to renew it. The team said it investigated Sanders' sexual harassment allegations and couldn't find enough evidence to substantiate them.