Derrick Rose sexual assault lawsuit gets court date
By Jason Parker
A case alleging that New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose and two friends raped a woman after meeting her at his home will go to trial in October.
This summer, Derrick Rose was hoping for a new beginning when he was traded to the New York Knicks. As it turns out, an event from his past has followed him to the Big Apple. According to USA Today, a civil lawsuit being brought by a woman who says Rose and two friends raped her in 2013 is heading to trial.
"In Doe’s complaint filed on Nov. 15, 2015, she alleges the “defendants drugged Plaintiff at Defendant’s residence, and, after Plaintiff’s friend helped her get home safely in a cab, Defendants trespassed in to Plaintiff’s apartment while Plaintiff was asleep and each sexually assaulted and raped her.”"
The victim is seeking a total of $21 million in the suit, with $15.5 million of that coming in punitive damages. Police in Los Angeles have said they do not know if a police report was ever filed in the case, while Rose has continued to deny that the event took place.
The woman’s lawyers, during a July case where Rose’s legal team asked for a dismissal and were denied, said she was “too ashamed” about what happened to file a claim.
One of the other defendants in the case, Ryan Allen, is the younger brother of Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Allen.
No matter the outcome of the case, there is no doubt that this will affect Rose mentally heading into what is supposed to be a transition season for him and a fresh start. With the case being heard while the Knicks and Rose are in training camp, he won’t be able to fully concentrate on the next phase of his basketball career.
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It’s also going to be difficult for Rose and his career since we are finally hearing more about this case in the mainstream media. There was not much revealed about the case before, even when the victim’s complaint was filed last November. Especially being in the New York media spotlight now, Rose will be hounded by this story regardless of the outcome.