DaBella sues Portland Timbers after team terminated jersey sponsorship
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A former sponsor for the Portland Timbers is suing the soccer club after it ended their partnership due to sexual harassment allegations.
As first reported by the Portland Business Journal, Hillsboro-based home improvement company DaBella Exteriors filed a lawsuit against the team and Chief Executive Officer Heather Davis on Monday.
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The lawsuit comes nearly three months after the Timbers terminated their partnership with DaBella and removed its logo from jerseys, citing recent misconduct accusations against the company’s CEO.
“This decision was rooted in the responsibility we have to our fans, supporters, partners and employees to transparently reflect and uphold the values and expectations of our community,” the Timbers said on Feb. 28.
The sports organization has since named Oregon dairy brand Tillamook as its new front jersey sponsor.
According to DaBella’s complaint, the team’s decision to end the partnership was “not contractually permitted.” The plaintiffs alleged the Timbers harmed the company’s reputation in the midst of rebuilding its own.
“The Timbers’ past failings are well-documented,” West-Linn-based Attorney David Smith wrote. “However, when presented with unsubstantiated falsehoods about conduct within one of its largest sponsors, DaBella, the Timbers and its CEO, Davis, accepted the baseless allegations about misconduct at DaBella at face value without conducting the diligence or verifying the veracity of the claims.”
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The company is seeking more than $75 million in the lawsuit.
In a statement, a Timbers spokesperson told KOIN 6 News the sports organization is “aware of the lawsuit and have no comment at this time. “
Court documents note the team appointed Davis as their new CEO in January 2023, after Timbers owner Meritt Paulson stepped down from the position in October 2022. Paulson also previously owned the Portland Thorns, but the team was sold to RAJ Sports earlier this year.
The leadership changes followed several scandals involving both teams.
Previous reports alleged the Timbers failed to inform the Major Soccer League that former midfielder Andy Polo had been accused of domestic violence, until the information later became public.
An additional investigation commissioned by the National Women’s Soccer League found that former Thorns coach Paul Riley had engaged in sexual harassment and coercion.
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The Thorns did not renew Riley’s contract in 2015, although the team did not disclose why. Polo was terminated in February 2022.
Timbers’ former President of Soccer Gavin Wilkinson and President of Business Mike Golub were fired later in the year.
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