New York (CNN) - A lawsuit claims that the head coach of the U.S. women's basketball team successfully demanded that a female security director be removed from her assignment for the upcoming 2012 Olympic Games in London after she rebuffed his sexual advances.
Kelley Hardwick, 46, filed the employment discrimination lawsuit last month in New York Supreme Court in Manhattan, alleging that coach Geno Auriemma followed her to her hotel room, grabbed her arm and tried to kiss her during a 2009 tournament trip to Russia with the women's senior national team.
Auriemma called the allegations "beyond false," pledging to defend himself "to the fullest," in a statement to CNN.
Hardwick, a former New York City detective and law school graduate, said she pushed the coach away and reported the incident, but said nothing was done, according to the lawsuit.
Soledad talks with Hardwick exclusively on "Starting Point" about her claims.
The NBA issued a statement in response to Hardwick's lawsuit, saying the following:
"We are proud of our confirmed status as an equal opportunity employer and a welcoming and non-discriminatory workplace. We will not be commenting on the litigation."
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