Current:Home > ContactEx-girlfriend drops lawsuits against Tiger Woods, says she never claimed sexual harassment -ProfitQuest Academy
Ex-girlfriend drops lawsuits against Tiger Woods, says she never claimed sexual harassment
View
Date:2025-04-12 12:47:07
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! (28222)
Related
- Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
- Notre Dame, USC lead teams making major moves forward in first NCAA Re-Rank 1-134 of season
- Illinois law banning concealed carry on public transit is unconstitutional, judge rules
- New Northwestern AD Jackson aims to help school navigate evolving landscape, heal wounds
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- Many think pink Himalayan salt is the 'healthiest' salt. Are the benefits real?
- Ezra Frech wins more gold; US 400m runners finish 1-2 again
- Stop Aging in Its Tracks With 50% Off Kate Somerville, Clinique & Murad Skincare from Sephora
- Could your smelly farts help science?
- How to watch Hulu's 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives': Cast, premiere, where to stream
Ranking
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- The Reason Jenn Tran and Devin Strader—Plus 70 Other Bachelor Nation Couples—Broke Up After the Show
- A man charged with killing 4 people on a Chicago-area L train is due in court
- Takeaways from AP’s report on JD Vance and the Catholic postliberals in his circle of influence
- Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
- The Daily Money: No diploma? No problem.
- Khloe Kardashian Shares Sweet Insight Into Son Tatum’s Bond With Saint West
- Kim Kardashian Reveals Son Saint Signed “Extensive Contract Before Starting His YouTube Channel
Recommendation
DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
New Titanic expedition images show major decay. But see the team's 'exciting' discovery.
How to watch Hulu's 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives': Cast, premiere, where to stream
How does the birth control pill work? What you need to know about going on the pill.
IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
It's Beyoncé's birthday: 43 top moments from her busy year
Chad T. Richards, alleged suspect in murder of gymnast Kara Welsh, appears in court
11-year-old boy charged with killing former Louisiana city mayor, his daughter: Police