Yahoo Finance Ex-Dodger Outfielder Yasiel Puig Sued For Alleged Sexual Assault At Staples Center
Former Los Angeles Dodger outfielder Yasiel Puig is being sued by a woman who alleges he sexually assaulted her at Staples Center in 2018.
The Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit was filed Thursday by a woman identified only as Jane Roe. She alleges assault and battery, intentional Infliction of emotional distress, negligence, and false imprisonment.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. The 29-year-old Puig signed a seven-year, $42 million contract to play for the Dodgers in 2013. Nicknamed “The Wild Horse,” he has recently played for the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians. He is now a free agent.
The woman claims Puig assaulted her at Staples Center on Oct. 31, 2018 when she went to the bathroom while the Lakers played the Dallas Mavericks. The lawsuit says Puig took the woman and “forced into a bathroom and Yasiel Puig grabbed at her trying to take her clothes off, touched her sexual organs during this struggle, and eventually pinned her with 1 arm and used his other to stroke his own penis, exposing himself, and eventually ejaculating.”
The woman claims she did not know Puig, and only met him briefly in a VIP lounge while watching the game, according to the lawsuit. The documents do not say if she reported the incident to arena security or police.
TMZ spoke with Puig’s attorney, who said the MLB star categorically denies the accusations in the lawsuit.
“The defendant is a professional athlete who used his celebrity status to intimidate and sexually assault a stranger,” plaintiff’s attorney Taylor Rayfield said. “His brazen attack has caused emotional and psychological injuries to our client which have severely impacted her life.”
Reports quoted Roe as saying said she is coming forward and filing the lawsuit because she believes she is not Puig’s only such victim.
“I was in complete shock because it all happened so fast,” said Roe. “It was terrifying and humiliating and I don’t want anyone else to have to suffer the same kind of trauma that I’m experiencing.”
More from Deadline
Best of Deadline
U.S. Coronavirus Update: Total Cases Surpass 9 Million As Deaths Approach 230,000
Coronavirus: Movies That Have Halted Or Delayed Production Amid Outbreak
Hong Kong Filmart Postponed Due To Coronavirus Fears; Event Moves Two Weeks Before Toronto
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
