The Miami Heat has launched an aggressive defense against the NBA team's former associate general counsel, who alleges she was fired for requesting maternity leave after adopting a newborn baby. 

In a motion to compel arbitration filed March 6 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the Heat describes ex-counsel Vered Yakovee as having been a "disruptive, toxic, and sub-standard employee who single-handedly consumed more attention from human resources and senior management than any other individual employee." 

The Heat also accused Yakovee of filing a "frivolous and factually deficient lawsuit" as part of an attempt to circumvent an arbitration agreement, tarnish the organization's reputation and "obtain a premature trial through press and public speculation."