Shreyas Laddha, Luke Nozicka, The Kansas City Star (TNS)
Former NBA and Kansas men’s basketball player Josh Jackson has been accused of raping a woman last year at a New York hotel and then sending two women to break into her apartment to threaten her, according to a federal lawsuit the woman filed.
The lawsuit, filed earlier this year in the Southern District of New York, accuses Jackson of assault and battery. The woman is also seeking damages from two women she says broke into her apartment during a robbery she claims was set up by Jackson.
The woman, listed in court records as Jane Doe, had been waiting for months to see if U.S. Judge Andrew Carter Jr. would allow her to proceed in the case while maintaining her anonymity. Her lawyer argued that to force her to reveal her identity would “create a chilling effect” on survivors of sexual violence. The judge recently ruled in her favor, so she can use the pseudonym.
“This case is not about money for the (woman),” her lawyer, Seamus Barrett, told The Star. “It is about making sure the defendants, including Mr. Jackson, are held to account for their outrageous and unlawful actions.”
In court filings, Jackson’s attorney, John Lauro, called the allegations “very serious, albeit entirely false,” and said Jackson “emphatically denies” that he committed any assault.
In a statement to The Star on Friday, Lauro added: “Mr. Jackson will vigorously contest these allegations in court and looks forward to the truth being fully told.”
Lauro had asked Carter to deny the woman’s request to not name herself publicly, contending his client is a “target” for anyone threatening “public humiliation for failing to pay on extortionate threats.” He also attacked her credibility.
“She maintains a provocative and sexualized social media presence, while seeking relationships with professional athletes and others,” Jackson’s attorney wrote, later adding: “Sadly, for too long in our nation’s history,…
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