A woman filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday accusing James L. Dolan, the entertainment and sports mogul behind Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks, of pressuring her into unwanted sexual relations and then arranging a meeting with Harvey Weinstein. whom she accused of sexually assaulting her. .
The woman, Kellye Croft, says in the court filing that she told Dolan, a former friend and business partner of Weinstein, about the alleged incident after it occurred in early 2014, years before Dolan made public statements that he was unaware of. Mr. Weinstein's history of misconduct.
In her lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Ms. Croft says that in late 2013, when she was 27, she was hired to work as a masseuse on a tour for the classic rock band Eagles. Dolan, who also works as a blues-rock musician, was the opening act for his band JD & the Straight Shot.
In court documents, Croft describes the experience as a dream concert gone wrong due to the misconduct of two men who were among the most powerful figures in media and entertainment. First, Croft's lawsuit says, she was pressured into having unwanted sex with Dolan, and then she found herself alone in a Beverly Hills hotel room with Weinstein, who chased her down a hallway, grabbed her and slammed into her. willpower.
In a statement, Croft said: “James Dolan manipulated me, brought me to California to abuse me, and then set me up for a vicious attack by Weinstein.”
E. Danya Perry, Mr. Dolan’s attorney, said in a statement: “None of the allegations against Mr. Dolan have any merit whatsoever. Kellye Croft and James Dolan had a friendship.” She and she added: “Mr. Dolan always believed that Mrs. Croft was a good person and is surprised that she would accept these claims. Simply put, this is not a “he said/she said” issue and there is compelling evidence to support our position. “We look forward to proving it in court.”
Jennifer Bonjean, Weinstein's attorney, said he “vehemently denies these baseless allegations and looks forward to litigating these claims in a court of law where the truth will be revealed.”
Douglas H. Wigdor, Ms. Croft's attorney, said, “With the filing of today's complaint, it is time to finally hold Dolan accountable for his outrageous conduct.”
The lawsuit accuses Mr. Dolan of sex trafficking for these incidents, arguing that he facilitated their transportation “for the purposes of sex induced by force, fraud or coercion.” The lawsuit also accuses Dolan and Weinstein, who is serving a 23-year prison sentence for felony sex crimes, of sexual assault and forcible touching.
Ms. Croft's lawsuit says she was hired to be a tour masseuse for Glenn Frey, one of the founding members of the Eagles, who died in 2016, but that she was allowed to book massage appointments for other members of the tour. She says Mr. Dolan interceded on her behalf when she had a conflict with a tour manager who was later fired, and that Ms. Croft began to understand how powerful Mr. Dolan was when she made Mr. Frey apologize. with it “repeatedly and profusely.” “about the topic.
Dolan booked a massage and, at their appointment, the lawsuit says, he dragged Croft to a couch and put his hands between her knees. She resisted, she says, and was “adamant” that she did not want any sexual relations, but he pressured her into having sex. According to court documents, Mr. Dolan “summoned” Ms. Croft to his room several times during the tour and “she felt compelled to submit to having sexual relations with him.”
In January 2014, the suit says, Ms. Croft rejoined the tour in the Los Angeles area, where the Eagles had a residency at the Forum. But the lawsuit says the real reason for her presence was that Dolan “wished to sexually exploit Ms. Croft.”
On that same trip, Croft says she met Weinstein at a meeting that the lawsuit claims was arranged by Dolan. While she was waiting for the elevator at her hotel, Croft says, she chatted with Weinstein, who invited her to his room to discuss a job providing massages to actors on movie sets. While the lawsuit says Weinstein asked her if she was “the masseuse” and said Dolan had said great things about her, the lawsuit does not detail her claim that Dolan had “coordinated” her meeting with Mr. Weinstein.
The lawsuit says Ms. Croft felt uncomfortable when Mr. Weinstein asked her to try on clothes in front of him (she had just gone shopping and still had her bags with her) and then requested a massage in her bed. She began to walk down the hallway toward her room, but Mr. Weinstein, in a bathrobe, followed her.
Croft says in her lawsuit that Weinstein forced his way into her room and began sexually assaulting her, but stopped when the phone rang.
It was Mr. Dolan who was calling and Mr. Weinstein left his room. According to the lawsuit, Ms. Croft went to Mr. Dolan's room and told him about the assault. He said in court papers that Dolan said he was “not at all surprised” and that Weinstein “was 'a troubled person' who had a lot of 'serious problems,' but that his friends were 'trying to fix him' to address those.” issues”.
Dolan and Weinstein had been close friends for years, and Dolan served as a member of the board of directors of the Weinstein Company, Weinstein's production company, for about a year starting in 2015.
In 2018, after investigations by The New York Times and The New Yorker exposed Weinstein's history of sexual misconduct and dozens of women accused him of harassment or assault, Dolan released a song with his band, JD & the . Straight shot called “I Should Have Known.” Its lyrics address a broken friendship:
I should have known
should have thrown
Myself through his footprints
He stopped him from these vile attacks.
In interviews to publicize the song, Dolan linked it to Weinstein “and others” who were revealed to have assaulted or abused women. “What did I miss?” Dolan said in an interview.
It also cast doubt on a lawsuit filed in late 2017 by six female victims of Weinstein, who alleged that several men who had served as board members of the Weinstein Company had been aware of Weinstein's predatory behavior and were complicit. in covering it up.
“I think it's ridiculous,” Dolan said of the lawsuit in an interview with ESPN the following year. The Weinstein Company filed for bankruptcy and the lawsuit was eventually settled, but the company's officers and directors, including Mr. Dolan, were cleared of claims.
