Current:Home > NewsEx-girlfriend drops lawsuits against Tiger Woods, says she never claimed sexual harassment -Elevate Capital Network
Ex-girlfriend drops lawsuits against Tiger Woods, says she never claimed sexual harassment
View
Date:2025-04-14 10:34:42
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods ' ex-girlfriend has dropped her lawsuits against the golf superstar and the trust that owns his Florida mansion, saying she never accused him of sexual harassment even though her attorney has made that claim.
The attorney for Erica Herman filed a one-paragraph notice in state court last week saying she was voluntarily dismissing her $30 million lawsuit against the trust “with prejudice,” meaning the claim cannot be reasserted later. She had claimed that Woods promised she could live at the 30,000-square-foot (2,800-square meter) beachfront mansion until 2026 but kicked her out unexpectedly last year.
“In dismissing this action, Erica Herman states that she was never a victim of sexual harassment or sexual abuse at the hands of Tiger Woods or any of his agents and it is her position that she has never asserted such a claim,” wrote attorney Benjamin Hodas, who claimed on multiple occasions that Woods had sexually harassed his client.
A separate lawsuit against Woods was rejected by a judge in May, and court records show an appeal of that decision was dropped this week. Nothing in court documents indicates a settlement was reached on either lawsuit, though that could have been done privately.
Hodas did not return a call and email seeking comment Thursday. Woods’ attorney, J.B. Murray, declined to comment.
Herman was Woods’ girlfriend from 2015 until October 2022, moving into his $54 million mansion north of Palm Beach in 2016. She managed his Palm Beach County restaurant before and during the first years of their romantic relationship, and she signed a nondisclosure agreement in 2017 that barred her from discussing their relationship publicly. It also required her to take any legal disagreements with Woods to private arbitration and not court.
Hodas claimed in a May court hearing that Herman didn’t remember signing the document but that if she did it was under duress, having been told she would be fired from the restaurant if she didn’t.
Hodas argued the nondisclosure agreement was unenforceable under a new federal law that says such contracts can be voided when sexual abuse or sexual harassment occurred. He contended that Woods’ alleged threat to fire her was harassment.
“A boss imposing different work conditions on his employee because of their sexual relationship is sexual harassment,” Hodas wrote in a May filing.
Circuit Judge Elizabeth Metzger rejected Herman’s attempt to quash the nondisclosure agreement later in May, calling her allegations “vague and threadbare.”
“Herman has had the opportunity (to) provide factual specificity for any claim relating to sexual assault or sexual harassment, however, she has not done so,” Metzger wrote.
Forbes Magazine estimates Woods’ net worth at $1.1 billion. In 2017, Woods had put the mansion into the Jupiter Island Irrevocable Homestead Trust, an entity he created that has only himself and his two children as beneficiaries.
veryGood! (27991)
Related
- Small twin
- ‘Barbie’ joins $1 billion club, breaks another record for female directors
- Your HSA isn't just for heath care now. Here are 3 ways it can help you in retirement.
- 2 Florida officers hospitalized after shooting; suspect killed by police
- McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
- Bloomsbury USA President Adrienne Vaughan Killed During Boating Accident in Italy's Amalfi Coast
- California authorities capture suspects in break-ins at Lake Tahoe homes: a mama bear and three cubs
- USWNT might have lost at World Cup, but Megan Rapinoe won a long time ago
- Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
- Full transcript of Face the Nation, Aug. 6, 2023
Ranking
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- A simpler FAFSA is coming for the 2024-25 school year. Here's what to expect.
- USWNT humbled by Sweden, again. Epic World Cup failure ends with penalty shootout
- Death toll from train derailment in Pakistan rises to 30 with 90 others injured, officials say
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Paris Hilton Shares Why She's Sliving Her Best Life With Husband Carter Reum
- Penguins land 3-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson in trade with Sharks, Canadiens
- 3 killed after helicopters collide, one crashes while fighting fire in California
Recommendation
'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
Massachusetts State Police must reinstate 7 troopers who refused to be vaccinated, arbitrator says
Ryan Gosling Surprises Barbie Director Greta Gerwig With a Fantastic Birthday Gift
Officials believe body found near Maryland trail where woman went missing is Rachel Morin
Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
Sam Smith soothes and seduces on Gloria tour: 'This show is about freedom'
Father charged with helping suspect in July 4 shooting obtain gun license to ask judge to toss case
Turn Your Home Into a Barbie Dream House With These 31 Finds Under $60