Tiger Woods Accused of Sexual Harassment by Ex-Girlfriend Erica Herman
Tiger Woods’ former girlfriend has accused him of sexual harassment that included her alleging that the golfer forced her to either sign a non-disclosure agreement or be fired from her job, according to a court document.
Erica Herman, who dated Woods for more than five years and lived with him at his South Florida home, filed the document through her attorney, Benjamin Hobas in Martin County, Florida, late Friday.
Herman said that Woods pursued a sexual relationship with her when she was an employee at his South Florida restaurant and made her sign the NDA. Woods’ own attorneys have filed documents to prove that he did have a non-disclosure agreement with Herman.
“Mr. Woods was Ms. Herman’s boss,’’ Hobas wrote as part of the filing. “On Mr. Woods’ 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."
Herman, who worked at The Woods Jupiter, his restaurant, filed a lawsuit in October against a trust set up for his residence that was established several years ago.
She alleged that she had an oral agreement to stay at his residence for approximately five more years and claimed $30 million in damages; she said she was locked out of the home, violating their agreement.
Woods, who recently had surgery on his ankle and will not be able play golf for months, contended through legal representation that any disputes between the two need to be resolved in confidential arbitration instead of a public court.
Herman’s January claim that their legal issues involved a “sexual harassment dispute,’’ could lead the American Arbitration Association to halt confidential proceedings due to a relatively recent federal law that can void such agreements in the case of sexual abuse or harassment.
In the court filing Friday, Herman’s attorney, Hodas, wrote: “Tiger Woods, the internationally renowned athlete and one of the most powerful figures in global sports, decided to pursue a sexual relationship with his employee, then – according to him – forced her to sign an NDA about it or else be fired from her job. 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.”
In March, Herman, in a suit directly against Woods and not his estate, asked to be released from the NDA, citing the new federal law.
Herman did not initially make specific allegations about sexual misconduct regarding Woods. Her attorney cited the federal statues in the Jan. 6 filing and answered “yes’’ to a form question which asked “Does this case involve allegations of sexual abuse?’’
Hodas wrote in the Friday filing that Woods and/or his representatives tricked her into leaving the home.
“The scheme involved convincing Ms. Herman to pack for a weekend excursion to the Bahamas,’’ he wrote. “She and Mr. Woods often traveled on short notice for quick getaways, and she was told this would be another such trip. So, she took a minimum of items, expecting to return home in a few days.’’
The filing said she was driven to the airport where Herman was then instructed to talk to Woods’ attorney.
"Then, Mr. Woods's California lawyer, out of the blue, told her that she was not going anywhere, would never see Mr. Woods again, had been locked out of the house, and could not return,’’ the filing said. "She would not even be able to see the children or her pets again. While still in the hangar, 'Ray Donovan (a fictional character) with a pen' proceeded to insult Ms. Herman, (advised) her she had no legal rights, and (tried) to force her to agree to a (different) non-disclosure and arbitration agreement.”
The filing said she refused to sign the agreement.