Tiger Woods Accused of Sexual Harassment by Ex-Girlfriend Erica Herman in Lawsuit
Tiger Woods' former girlfriend Erica Herman accused the golfer of sexual harassment in a new court filing from her attorney on Friday. Woods allegedly pursued a sexual relationship with Herman while she was still working at his South Florida restaurant and forced her to sign a non-disclosure agreement, according to the filing. The two began dating in 2017 and split in October 2022.
"Tiger Woods, the internationally renowned athlete and one of the most powerful figures in global sports, decided to pursue a sexual relationship with his employee, then – according to him – forced her to sign an NDA about it or else be fired from her job," Herman's attorney, Benjamin Hobas, wrote in the filing, reports CNN. "And, when he became disgruntled with their sexual relationship, he tricked her into leaving her home, locked her out, took her cash, pets, and personal possessions, and tried to strong-arm her into signing a different NDA. A boss imposing different work conditions on his employee because of their sexual relationship is sexual harassment."
Hobas also outlined an alleged "scheme," in which Woods asked Herman to pack for a trip to the Bahamas last year. She was driven to the airport, where she asked to speak to Woods' attorney. Woods' lawyer told her "she was not going anywhere" and would never see Woods again, the document alleges. She was also told she was "locked out of the house, and could not return" to see "the children or her pets again." The golfer's lawyer asked Herman to sign a non-disclosure agreement, but refused to, according to the document.
Herman, 38, filed two separate complaints against Woods, 47, in the past year. In October 2022, she filed a $30 million lawsuit against Woods' Jupiter Island Irrevocable Homestead Trust, claiming it violated Florida's Residential Landlord Tenant Act by forcing her to leave Woods' home. She claimed there was an oral agreement violated once the trust's employees locked her out of the house. A trustee for Woods' trust asked the court to order Herman to arbitrate due to an arbitration provision in a 2017 NDA she signed.
In March, Herman filed another suit, arguing that the 2017 NDA cannot be enforced. She cited the federal Speak Out Act, which allows someone to get around a non-disclosure agreement if sexual assault or harassment happens. Woods' representatives have not responded to the May 5 filing, but when this lawsuit was filed in March, Woods' team called her petition "meritless."
"Ms. Herman's position is utterly meritless," Woods responded. "It is a transparent abuse of the judicial process that undermines the purpose of the federal statute and those whom the statute seeks to protect." Woods' team noted that Herman previously checked the "no" box when asked if her $30 million lawsuit involved "allegations of sexual abuse."
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.