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A woman filed a federal lawsuit against James Dolan on Tuesday, alleging that the executive chairman and CEO of Madison Square Garden Sports sexually assaulted and trafficked her in late 2013 and early 2014.
According to Ben Sisario of the New York Times, the lawsuit alleges that Dolan pressured then-27-year-old Kellye Croft into unwanted sex on multiple occasions after she was hired to work as a massage therapist for a music tour headlined by the Eagles.
Dolan, the main executive in charge of the NBA’s New York Knicks and NHL’s New York Rangers, is a blues singer for the band JD & The Straight Shot, which was an opening act during the tour.
According to the article, the lawsuit alleges that Dolan first pressured Croft into having sex with him during a massage appointment, despite her objections. On multiple occasions during the tour, “she felt obligated to submit to sex with him.”
Additionally, Croft alleged that she was sexually assaulted by former Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein, who is currently serving prison sentences of 23 and 16 years after being convicted of rape and sexual assault against multiple women.
Croft alleges in the suit that Dolan coordinated a meeting between her and Weinstein in January 2014. The suit says Weinstein said he wanted to potentially hire her to provide massages to actors on movie sets.
Weinstein allegedly chased Croft into a hotel room and sexually assaulted her. Croft accuses Dolan of setting her up, stating: “James Dolan manipulated me, brought me to California to abuse me and then set me up for a vicious attack by Weinstein.”
Croft said she told Dolan about the alleged Weinstein assault immediately after it happened. Dolan said years later that he knew nothing of Weinstein’s misconduct despite being friends with him.
“I saw the article and don’t know anything else about it other than I read the article so we’ll stand by and wait to find out more information,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver told reporters on Tuesday.
Dolan’s lawyer, E. Danya Perry, released a statement denying that Dolan sexually assaulted Croft or trafficked her to be assaulted by Weinstein:
“There is absolutely no merit to any of the allegations against Mr. Dolan. Kellye Croft and James Dolan had a friendship. Mr. Dolan always believed Ms. Croft to be a good person and is surprised she would agree to these claims. Bottom line, this is not a he said/she said matter and there is compelling evidence to back up our position. We look forward to proving that in court.”
Weinstein’s lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, also released a statement, noting that Weinstein “vehemently denies these meritless allegations and looks forward to litigating these claims in a court of law where the truth will be revealed.”
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