Lady alleges James Dolan pressured her into intercourse

In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday, a Tennessee girl alleged that James Dolan, the proprietor of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, pressured her into intercourse and that the previous film producer Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her a decade in the past.

“I’ve suffered so profoundly due to what James Dolan and Harvey Weinstein did to me years in the past, and it was not a simple resolution to come back ahead and search justice,” the lady, Kellye Croft, stated in an announcement. “However for me, to actually deal with my trauma, I want to hunt accountability. James Dolan manipulated me, introduced me to California to abuse me after which set me up for a vicious assault by Weinstein. My hope is that my lawsuit will drive Dolan to acknowledge what he did to me and to take accountability for the hurt he has prompted.”

Each Dolan and Weinstein have denied the allegations by way of their legal professionals. The lawsuit was first reported by The New York Instances.

In accordance with the lawsuit, filed in California, Croft was a therapeutic massage therapist engaged on a live performance tour with the Eagles in 2013. She met Dolan on that tour together with his band, JD & The Straight Shot, which was a gap act for the Eagles.

Whereas on tour, as a consensual therapeutic massage neared its finish, Dolan pulled Croft to him and put her fingers between his knees, in keeping with the lawsuit.

The lawsuit says Croft was “adamant that she didn’t need to have any sexual interactions with Dolan.”

“Following this undesirable sexual contact, Ms. Croft was summoned to Dolan’s room a number of occasions throughout the the rest of that a part of the tour. On every of those events, Dolan made unwelcome advances towards Ms. Croft, and she or he felt obligated to undergo intercourse with him,” the swimsuit says.

In accordance with the lawsuit, in January 2014, Dolan and music supervisor Irving Azoff flew Croft to Los Angeles, with Azoff’s company entities paying for Croft’s journey. Croft says she believed she was headed to California to proceed working because the Eagles’ masseuse. The band was nonetheless on tour with JD & The Straight Shot.

Days later, in keeping with the lawsuit, Dolan inspired Croft to hitch two assistants from Irving Azoff Administration for buying and dinner in Los Angeles. Upon returning to her lodge after going out for dinner, Croft was ready for the elevator when a person requested her, “Who’s that to-go field for?”

The person asking the query, in keeping with the lawsuit, was Weinstein, the previous film producer who was later convicted of intercourse crimes. When Croft stated the meals was for her buddy, Dolan, Weinstein informed Croft that the sports activities mogul was “certainly one of his greatest pals,” in keeping with the lawsuit. He then requested her if she was “the therapeutic massage therapist,” saying that Dolan had talked about his therapeutic massage therapist and stated nice issues about her.

In accordance with the lawsuit, Weinstein stated he could have work alternatives to supply Croft, serving to with therapeutic massage remedy for actors on his film units. He then invited Croft to his lodge room to speak.

In accordance with the lawsuit, Weinstein requested for Croft to present him a therapeutic massage, although Croft declined, saying she is specific in regards to the sorts of therapeutic massage tables she makes use of. Weinstein later went to the toilet and returned sporting “a loosely tied bathrobe,” the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit says Weinstein once more requested for a therapeutic massage, and after Croft once more refused and tried to go away the room, Weinstein blocked the door. Upon explaining once more that she wanted her therapeutic massage desk, Weinstein let her go away the room however adopted her down the hallway.

In accordance with the swimsuit, Weinstein caught his foot into the door of Croft’s room as she tried to shut it, entered the room, then assaulted her.

A telephone name from Dolan to Croft’s room interrupted the encounter, in keeping with the lawsuit, and Croft picked up the telephone and informed Dolan she would see him shortly.

“After listening to her converse to Dolan, Weinstein backed off of Ms. Croft,” the lawsuit says. “He then said to her, ‘Effectively, you realize Jim and I are greatest pals. He’s going to be very upset that you simply led me on, this received’t look good for you.’ Weinstein then left Ms. Croft’s lodge room.”

In accordance with the lawsuit, Croft informed Dolan in regards to the alleged assault instantly afterward, and Dolan “readily admitted to Ms. Croft that he knew all about Weinstein’s historical past of assaulting and sexually abusing ladies, telling her that, ‘everyone knows’ that Weinstein ‘has issues.’”

Weinstein is serving 23 years in New York jail for a rape and sexual assault conviction in 2020. In 2022, he was discovered responsible of intercourse crimes in California and sentenced to 16 years. The sentences are to be served individually. Each instances are underneath enchantment.

The swimsuit lists a number of defendants, together with Dolan, Weinstein, JD & The Straight Shot and The Azoff Firm, amongst others.

“There may be completely no benefit to any of the allegations in opposition to Mr. Dolan,” Dolan’s lawyer E. Danya Perry stated in an announcement supplied to The Athletic. “Kellye Croft and James Dolan had a friendship. The references to Harvey Weinstein are merely meant to inflame and look like plagiarized from prior instances in opposition to Mr. Weinstein.”

Weinstein’s lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, was unavailable when contacted by The Athletic on Tuesday night however launched an announcement to different media shops earlier within the day.

“Mr. Weinstein vehemently denies these meritless allegations and appears ahead to litigating these claims in a court docket of regulation the place the reality will probably be revealed,” Bonjean stated in an announcement, in keeping with The Related Press.

One of many regulation companies representing Croft, Wigdor LLP, has represented shoppers in instances in opposition to Dolan earlier than.

It at the moment represents former Knicks huge man Charles Oakley within the case Oakley introduced in opposition to Madison Sq. Backyard after Dolan had him ejected from the stands of a sport in 2017. Douglas H. Wigdor and Kevin Mintzer, two legal professionals for Croft, have represented 9 of Weinstein’s accusers.

“It’s time to lastly maintain Dolan accountable for his outrageous conduct,” Wigdor stated in an announcement.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver fielded a query in regards to the allegations in opposition to Dolan throughout a information convention Tuesday afternoon however declined to remark.

“I noticed the article and don’t know the rest about it aside from I learn the article,” Silver stated. “We’ll stand by and wait to seek out out extra data.”

In 2007, former Knicks government Anucha Browne Sanders sued the crew’s former common supervisor, Isiah Thomas, in addition to Madison Sq. Backyard, the company that owns the Knicks and is run by Dolan, for sexual harassment. She received the lawsuit, and Dolan was ordered to pay Sanders $11.6 million.

(Picture of James Dolan: Paul Bereswill / Getty Photographs)