Tiger Woods sued by ex-girlfriend: Everything to know about complaint, $30M lawsuit
Tiger Woods was named in a complaint on Wednesday, March 8 by ex-girlfriend Erica Herman after she filed a $30 million lawsuit against him in October.
Instead of playing at TPC Sawgrass for THE PLAYERS Championship, Tiger Woods is in the news due to a previous romantic relationship.
On Wednesday, a complaint filed against Woods and his trust, Jupiter Island Irrevocable Homestead Trust, by ex-girlfriend Erica Herman asked for the defendant, Herman, to be released from the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that she signed when the couple began their relationship in 2017.
As part of this complaint, it was also revealed that Herman sued Tiger Woods for $30 million in damages upon the couple breaking up in October 2022 — the break-up and lawsuit having not been previously reported widely. This occurred after Woods allegedly locked her out and kicked her out of the Treasure Coast home that the two shared.
It’s an incredibly complex situation based on the details available, so let’s break down what we know.
Tiger Woods ex-girlfriend sued golfer for $30 million in damages after break-up in October 2022
Upon the end of the relationship, Herman sued Woods’ trust for $30 million in damages for allegedly violating the Florida Residential Landlord Tenant Act. In the suit, Herman claims that members of the trust (Woods is not specified) used “trickery” to get her to pack a suitcase for a vacation when she was then informed that she was no longer allowed back at the residence in question, per Golf Digest.
Herman also alleges that Woods and her had agreed that she could be at the residence for an agreed-upon amount of time and that there were still five years remaining in that agreement upon the time the defendant alleges that the removal from the property occurred.
Court documents also indicate that Herman tried to return to the home but was allegedly not allowed to enter. The defendant also alleges that $40,000 was taken from her with defamatory language and accusations made toward her as to how she acquired the money.
Erica Herman wants out of NDA signed in 2017, the beginning of relationship with Tiger Woods
The complaint filed this week and reported upon on Wednesday, March 8 involves an NDA signed by Herman in 2017 when her relationship with Tiger Woods began.
Per USA Today, here is the basis of the complaint filed by Herman and her attorneys:
"“This uncertainty is acute and important. Because of the aggressive use of the Woods NDA against her by the Defendant and the trust under his control, the Plaintiff is unsure whether she may disclose, among other things, facts giving rise to various legal claims she believes she has. She is also currently unsure what other information about her own life she may discuss or with whom. There is therefore an active dispute between the Plaintiff and the Defendant for which the Plaintiff needs a clarifying declaration from the court.”"
The defendant is asking the courts out of the NDA under the argument that it can’t be enforced under the Speak Out Act, a federal law protecting victims of sexual assault or harassment. No specific claims involving either instance of sexual abuse have been made by Herman in relation to Woods.
Conflicting statements from Herman about Tiger Woods and ‘sexual abuse’ related to NDA
Golf Digest reported from the court documents of the October 2022 lawsuit and the complaint from this week that, when asked the question on the civil cover letter “Does this case involve allegations of sexual abuse?”, Herman responded “No” in the lawsuit from October after the break-up.
In the complaints from this week, she responded “Yes” to the same question.
Tiger Woods lawsuit: What does this mean moving forward?
Bluntly, we don’t know what this means. The reporting on Wednesday is largely in relation to the revelation of this new information. Woods’ appeals to the courts to dismiss complaints and lawsuits previously from November and December have not yet been heard by the courts.
We will continue to update you on new information and court proceedings involving this situation.
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