Federal lawsuit accuses NY Knicks owner James Dolan, media mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault
LOS ANGELES — A woman has alleged that New York Knicks owner James Dolan sexually assaulted her a decade ago and then allowed her to be abused by now-imprisoned film producer Harvey Weinstein, according to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles.
In 2013, plaintiff Kellye Croft was a 27-year-old licensed massage therapist working on a tour for The Eagles. Dolan’s band, JD & The Straight Shot, opened for the rock band. Dolan, who was 58 at the time, allegedly used his power and influence during the tour to repeatedly manipulate and pressure Croft “into submitting to sex with him,” the lawsuit said.
The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly or agree to be identified, as Croft has done.
When the tour traveled to Los Angeles, Dolan flew Croft there even though almost no tour members had signed up for massage appointments, the lawsuit said. Dolan then continued to “sexually exploit” her and orchestrated a seemingly random meeting between Croft and Weinstein, a friend of his, in a hotel elevator in early 2014, the complaint alleges.
Weinstein, according to the lawsuit, offered her the chance to work on film sets, put on a loosely tied bathrobe in his suite and asked Croft to give him a massage.
She felt uncomfortable and left the suite, but Weinstein, still in the bathrobe, followed her, the suit attacked. He forced his way into her hotel room and sexually assaulted her, the lawsuit said. When she told Dolan about the alleged attack, he did not seem surprised or offer to help her report the attack to police, she claims.
Croft claims Dolan knew about Weinstein’s misconduct toward women and told her “we all know” that Weinstein “has problems.”
“Indeed, with his comments, Ms. Croft felt that Dolan was completely ignoring the seriousness of the situation and not really caring about what his friend had done to her,” the complaint said.
Dolan served on the board of directors of Weinstein’s film production company for about a year between 2015 and 2016. In 2017, Dolan was named in a lawsuit against members of the board of directors who claimed they knew about Weinstein’s behavior toward women, but did not. try to stop it.
Croft, now 38, is seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages.
“I have suffered so deeply because of what James Dolan and Harvey Weinstein did to me years ago, and it was not an easy decision to come forward and seek justice,” she said in a statement. trauma, I have to seek responsibility.
Dolan leads as executive chairman of Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. the NBA’s Knicks and the NHL’s Rangers. His attorney, E. Danya Perry, said there is “absolutely no merit” in Croft’s allegations and that references to Weinstein are “simply intended to stir things up.”
“Kellye Croft and James Dolan had a friendship,” Perry said in a statement. “The bottom line is that this is not a he-said case and there is compelling evidence to support our position. We look forward to proving that in court.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver did not comment specifically on the allegations on Tuesday, saying he had only read news stories about the lawsuit, “so we’ll wait and see until we get more information.” As commissioner, Silver has broad powers to take action in the event of abuses.
Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence for a rape and sexual assault conviction in New York that is under appeal. The disgraced movie mogul was also found guilty in Los Angeles in 2022 and later sentenced to 16 years for the rape and sexual assault of an Italian actor and model known at trial as Jane Doe 1. The Los Angeles case is also being challenged appealed.
His lawyer rejected Croft’s claims on Tuesday.
“Mr. Weinstein strongly denies these baseless allegations and looks forward to litigating these claims in a court of law where the truth will come to light,” attorney Jennifer Bonjean said in a statement.
The Madison Square Garden organization, which did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday, has been the subject of multiple lawsuits under Dolan’s ownership — most notably when former team executive Anucha Browne Sanders alleged she was sexually harassed by former team president Isiah Thomas.
Dolan supported Thomas, who maintained his innocence and was never held personally liable, rather than trying to reach a plea bargain. Browne Sanders was awarded $11.6 million by a jury in 2007. Former NBA commissioner David Stern called the decision to move forward with the lawsuit “not a model of intelligent management.”
Former Knicks player Charles Oakley sued Dolan after he was violently arrested during a game in 2017, although a judge dismissed the lawsuit three years later.
More recently, a longtime Knicks ticket holder attorney sued Madison Square Garden Entertainment when their firm’s tickets were revoked after they began representing a group that was suing MSG for violating New York’s Arts and Cultural Affairs Act .
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Mahoney reported from New York. Associated Press sportswriter Beth Harris of Inglewood, California, contributed.