09/18/24 05:10:00
Printable Page
09/18 17:08 CDT Judge dismisses an assault lawsuit against Knicks owner James
Dolan and Harvey Weinstein
Judge dismisses an assault lawsuit against Knicks owner James Dolan and Harvey
Weinstein
By JANIE HAR
Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) --- A U.S. district judge has dismissed a federal lawsuit by
a woman who alleged that New York Knicks owner James Dolan sexually assaulted
her a decade ago and then set her up to be molested by jailed movie mogul
Harvey Weinstein.
U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson on Tuesday dismissed the lawsuit filed by
Kellye Croft in Los Angeles in January. Anderson said that Croft had failed to
plausibly allege a commercial sex act in which she was paid for sex under the
federal Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act.
The judge also declined to hear her claims based on state --- and not federal
--- law against Dolan of sexual battery and aiding and abetting sexual assault
and against Weinstein of sexual assault and attempted rape.
Croft's lawyers posted on X that they disagreed with the decision, saying it
"incorrectly interprets the federal sex trafficking law and undermines
critically important protections for sex trafficking survivors," according to
attorneys Meredith Firetog and Kevin Mintzer of Wigdor LLP.
The office of Dolan's attorney, E. Danya Perry, said in a statement Wednesday
that the lawsuit was "a malicious attempt to assert horrific allegations" by
what it called an unscrupulous law firm.
Weinstein's attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, did not immediately respond to an
emailed request for comment but, at the time of the January filing also
dismissed Croft's assertions.
According to the lawsuit, Croft was a licensed massage therapist in 2013
working on a tour for The Eagles in which Dolan's band, JD & The Straight Shot,
opened for the rock band. Dolan allegedly used his influence on the tour to
repeatedly manipulate and pressure Croft "to submit to sex with him," the
lawsuit stated. It claimed Dolan orchestrated a meeting between Croft and
Weinstein, a friend of his, in a hotel elevator in early 2014. She alleged in
her lawsuit that Weinstein sexually assaulted her in a hotel room.
The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they were sexually
assaulted unless they come forward publicly or consent to being identified, as
Croft has done.
|
