James Dolan, owner of Knicks & Rangers, accused of sexual assault: Who is Kellye Croft?

James Dolan, the chairman of Madison Square Garden and owner of the New York Knicks, is facing a federal lawsuit filed by Kellye Croft.

The lawsuit alleges that Dolan pressured Croft into unwanted sexual encounters nearly a decade ago and facilitated an assault by Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced Hollywood producer.

Kellye Croft's accusations against James Dolan

According to the lawsuit, the incidents occurred during a tour supporting the Eagles band in 2013, where Croft was hired as the official masseuse for the Eagles.

The court papers claim that Dolan, a former board member of the Weinstein Company and a close friend of Weinstein, "trafficked"Croft for sexual purposes and orchestrated a meeting with Weinstein.

The lawsuit alleges that Dolan expected Croft to have sexual interactions with him during the tour, using his influence as a significant funder.

The lawsuit also claims that Dolan acted romantically toward Croft, leading her to believe he cared about her.

The alleged assault by Weinstein occurred in 2014, after the tour, in a Los Angeles hotel room.

Dolan reportedly paid for Croft's travel to the city, where Weinstein invited her to his hotel room and assaulted her when she refused.

The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and unspecified damages.

Dolan denies claims by Croft

Croft, now 38, issued a public statement saying, "James Dolan manipulated me, brought me to California to abuse me, and then set me up for a vicious attack by Weinstein. My hope is that my lawsuit will force Dolan to acknowledge what he did to me and to take responsibility for the harm he has caused."

In response, Dolan's lawyer, Danya Perry, stated, "There is absolutely no merit to any of the allegations ... Kellye Croft and James Dolan had a friendship."

Perry dismissed the references to Weinstein as attempts to inflame and suggested they were plagiarized from prior cases against Weinstein.

"The references to Harvey Weinstein are simply meant to inflame and appear to be plagiarized from prior cases against Mr Weinstein."

Dolan, through his lawyer, denies all claims, asserting that he always believed Croft to be a good person.

"Mr Dolan always believed Ms Croft to be a good person and is surprised she would agree to these claims. Bottom line: this is not a he said/she said matter and there is compelling evidence to back up our position. We look forward to proving that in court."

Adblock test (Why?)