Earlier today, the case revolving around NBA star Josh Giddey’s alleged relationship with a minor drew to a close after there was a lack of evidence to pass judgment. However, now the New York Knicks and New York Rangers owner James Dolan has been recently accused of sexual assault on light of an entirely different lawsuit.
The issue that puts the image of the league at risk was brought to light in the early hours of Tuesday, this week which accused the franchise owner of the grave act.
Federal Lawsuit claims Knicks owner James Dolan pressured woman into unwanted intercourse
On Tuesday, a woman from Tennessee filed a federal lawsuit against New York Knicks owner James Dolan, alleging that the executive coerced her into engaging in unwanted sexual activity.
According to the details provided, the woman named, Kellye Croft was forced into the act over a decade ago when she was working as a licensed massage therapist and interacted with James Dolan while he was on tour with famed rock band, the Eagles. As per the lawsuit, Kellye who was 27 then, alleges that the Knicks executive became “extremely assertive, and pressured Ms. Croft into unwanted sexual intercourse with him.”
In further interactions between the two individuals, Kellye alleges that she was called into Dolan’s close quarters where he made “unwelcome advances toward Ms. Croft, and she felt obligated to submit to sex with him.”
With the aim of seeking justice through a jury trial, Kellye made a strong and confident statement in which she said, “James Dolan manipulated me, brought me to California to abuse me.” She added, “My hope is that my lawsuit will force Dolan to acknowledge what he did to me and to take responsibility for the harm he has caused.”
While Kellye and her legal team plan pursuing the case with a resolute spirit, Dolan’s legal advisor Danya Perry strongly denied any claims of the alleged sexual assault case. She dismissed Kellye’s claims citing that, “There is absolutely no merit to any of the allegations.”
Apart from Dolan, the lawsuit was also filed against one of Dolan’s former close friends, disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
Woman accuses Dolan of facilitating encounter with Weinstein
In the federal lawsuit filed against James Dolan, Kellye Croft also accused the Knicks and Rangers owner of opening the door for the encounter with Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
According to Kellye Croft’s claims, James Dolan arranged Croft’s stay at the very posh, the Beverly Hills hotel where she eventually met Harvey Weinstein, who introduced himself as one of Dolan’s “best friends” and acquainted himself by asking her if she was the massage therapist that Dolan had previously mentioned.
Croft goes on to say that Weinstein sexually assaulted her mercilessly and when she went to Dolan with her troubles, the executive allegedly responded by saying that the producer was “a troubled person’ with “serious issues”. Later, Dolan also stated that he was unaware Weinstein, who was his close friend was also a serial abuser of women.
Considering that the lawsuit defames the NBA to some extent, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the significance of the issue but however, decided not to pass any remarks as there was a lack of sufficient information. He raised the importance of clarity of information and answered with a sense of patience before any decisions were made against the Knicks owner.
