Tiger Woods ex girlfriend accuses him of sexual harassment in latest filing

Tiger Woods' ex girlfriend Erica Herman accuses him of forcing her to sign a NDA or be fired from her job.

06 May 2023

Tiger Woods ex girlfriend accuses him of sexual harassment in latest filing

Tiger Woods' ex-girlfriend Erica Herman has accused him of sexual harassment and that the 15-time major champion forced her to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) otherwise be fired from her job, according to court documents this week.

News of their split first emerged in early March 2023.

But Woods and Herman were said to have broken up in October 2022.

In Herman's latest filing, through her attorney Benjamin Hobas in Florida on Friday evening, Herman alleges that Woods pursued a sexual relationship with her while she was his employee at his Woods Jupiter restaurant and that he forced her into signing an NDA. Herman had worked as a restaurant manager at The Woods Jupiter when she first met the former World No.1.

Herman's attorney wrote the following:

"Mr. Woods was Ms. Herman's boss. On Mr. Woods's 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."

The document added:

"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."

Report: Woods thought Herman was 'spending' too much before their split

Woods is said to want to move the dispute into private arbitration proceedings in accordance with the NDA his attorney claims was signed in 2017.

But Herman wants the court to determine the NDA is "invalid or unforeseeable" for reasons including she claims she was subject to sexual abuse by Woods.

Herman recently told how Woods "sexually abused" her but she did not disclose exactly what happened.

She filed a lawsuit in March in a bid to void the initial NDA.

Woods' attorneys have since responded by noting Herman had not asserted any claims for sexual assault or sexual harassment in their landlord-tenant action.

Herman also filed a lawsuit in October 2022 against the trust she claims Woods controls for $30m.

She alleges Woods tricked her into leaving his Florida mansion where they had lived together for six years following their breakup, which is said to have happened in October 2022.

Herman claims she had an oral agreement with Woods' trust - the Jupiter Island Irrevocable Homestead Trust - that allowed her to live at the property for a period of 11 years.

Her latest filing states:

"The landlord made the availability of her housing conditional on her having sexual relationship with a co-tenant. That conduct amounts to sexual harassment under federal and Florida fair housing laws. The short summary of events here and the Defendant's own linking of the purported agreement to his sexual motivations in both her employment and housing are sufficient to bring this case within the ambit of the Ending Forced Arbitration Act."

In a report we published two months ago, Woods claims he offered Herman a luxury hotel to stay in after their split.

Herman's latest filing reveals more information about how Woods ejected her from the property:

"Instead, he called a California attorney — who promotes himself as 'Ray Donovan with a pen' — to unceremoniously eject Ms. Herman from the house through trickery and break up with her for him,' said the document.

"The scheme involved convincing Ms. Herman to pack for a weekend excursion to the Bahamas. 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 document alleges Woods drove Herman to the airport and then told her to just speak to his lawyer:

"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,' her filing stated.

"She would not even be able to see the children or her pets again. While still in the hangar, 'Ray Donovan 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 court filing adds:

"Importantly, neither Mr. Woods, nor his lawyer, nor any of his other agents invoked some pre-existing arbitration agreement that day as they ejected Ms. Herman from the house and took away her personal property and pets."

Woods is currently on the sidelines as he recovers from ankle surgery.

He is likely to be out of competitive action until the end of the season.

Woods' long-term caddie Joe LaCava switched bags this week, making it seem even more likely that Woods will be out for some time.

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