Tiger Woods’s ex-girlfriend has accused him of sexually harassing her whilst his worker, alleging that the superstar golfer pressured her to signal a non-disclosure settlement or be fired from her activity.
According to a courtroom file filed on Friday and reviewed by means of Sports Illustrated, Erica Herman dated Woods for greater than 5 years. She used to be additionally an worker at his south Florida eating place The Woods Jupiter earlier than she alleges that she used to be pressured to signal an NDA concerning the pair’s sexual courting underneath the specter of termination, which she argues amounted to sexual harassment.
“Mr. Woods was Ms. Herman’s boss,” her legal professional, Benjamin Hobas, wrote within the courtroom file. “On Mr Woods’s own portrayal of events, he imposed an NDA on her as a condition to keep her job when she began having a sexual relationship with him.
“A boss imposing different work conditions on his employee because of their sexual relationship is sexual harassment.”
Friday’s submitting comes as a part of a criminal dispute that erupted between Herman, 39, and Woods, 47, when they broke up final October.
Herman therefore filed a lawsuit towards the consider that Woods had arrange for his Florida house in 2017, arguing that she had an oral settlement to stay on the position for roughly 5 extra years however that the golfer had pressured her out in their shared place of abode.
The lawsuit seeks $30m in damages.
In Friday’s submitting, Hobas contended: “Tiger Woods, the across the world famend athlete and some of the robust figures in international sports activities, determined to pursue a sexual courting together with his worker, then – in keeping with him – pressured her to signal an NDA about it. or else be fired from her activity.
“And, when he became disgruntled with their sexual relationship, he tricked her into leaving her home, locked her out, took her cash, pets, and personal possessions, and tried to strong-arm her into signing a different NDA.”
Friday’s submitting equipped further main points into what Hobas portrayed as a ruse masterminded by means of Woods.
“The scheme involved convincing Ms Herman to pack for a weekend excursion to the Bahamas,” the submitting mentioned. “She and Mr Woods steadily traveled on brief understand for fast getaways, and he or she used to be informed this may be any other such commute. So, she took no less than pieces, anticipating to go back house in a couple of days.”
The filing added that Herman was being driven to the airport when she was suddenly instructed to speak to Woods’ attorney.
“Then, Mr Woods’s California attorney, all of the sudden, informed her that she used to be no longer going anyplace, would by no means see Mr Woods once more, have been locked out of the home, and may just no longer go back,” the filing said, adding that Herman then refused – but was asked – to sign a separate NDA as well as an arbitration agreement.
In a separate lawsuit filed against Woods in March, Herman asked a judge to nullify the NDA that she signed when she began dating the winner of 15 major golf tournaments, saying that the agreement is “invalid and unenforceable”.
“Because of the competitive use of the Woods NDA towards her by means of the defendant and the consider underneath his regulate, the plaintiff is not sure whether or not she might reveal, amongst different issues, information giving upward thrust to more than a few criminal claims she believes she has,” said the civil complaint, which was reviewed by Reuters.
In response to Herman’s complaint filed in March to nullify the NDA, Woods’s attorneys called Herman “a jilted ex-girlfriend who desires to publicly litigate specious claims in courtroom, somewhat than honor her dedication to arbitrate disputes in a confidential arbitration continuing”.
