Sexual assault lawsuit against James Dolan, Harvey Weinstein dismissed
09/18/2024 11:39 AM
A federal lawsuit that accused New York Knicks owner James Dolan of unwanted sex and sexual assault close to a decade ago has been dismissed by a U.S. District Court judge in California, according to ESPN’s Baxter Holmes.
The accusations against Dolan claimed he sexually assaulted and trafficked a female masseuse, Kellye Croft, in 2013 while his band at the time was on tour with The Eagles. Among many other accusations of sexual assault, the lawsuit claimed Dolan flew Kroft to California for his own intentions despite her being convinced she was traveling to work as a massage therapist.
The lawsuit also claimed Dolan coordinated an encounter with Harvey Weinstein, who was arrested in 2018 and sentenced to 23 years in prison on charges of rape and committing a criminal sex act.
Due to the case being dismissed, Dolan won’t face any legal penalties, nor will he face any punishment from the NBA. In January, NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke about the allegations facing Dolan, simply stating that the league was going to wait to find out all of the details on the matter before taking any action. Now that the case has been dismissed, no action will be taken by the NBA.
While this case accusing Dolan of sex trafficking has been dismissed with prejudice, her claims of sexual battery against the Knicks owner, Weinstein’s sexual assault, and aiding and abetting of sexual assault by Dolan were dismissed without prejudice, according to ESPN. As a result, she may file these claims again in a separate lawsuit.
Over the last few years, Dolan has made headlines for all of the wrong reasons. In 2023, Dolan and the Knicks found themselves involved in a lawsuit against the Toronto Raptors, a lawsuit that alleged a former Knicks employee that joined the Raptors "illegally procured" and disclosed proprietary info from New York and shared it with members of his new organization. This past June, a U.S. District Court judge ruled that this dispute should be settled by Silver and the NBA, according to The Athletic.
As a result of the ongoing problems between the Knicks and Raptors, Dolan objected to Toronto’s bid for a WNBA expansion franchise, making the NBA’s Board of Governors vote 29-1.
Issues involving Dolan and the NBA have continued this summer, as the Knicks owner recently criticized the NBA’s revenue-sharing policies. Dolan denounced the new $74.6 billion media deal that the league has agreed to, arguing that this new agreement renders the league’s Regional Sports Networks as "unviable.” In a letter he sent to the NBA’s Board of Governors in November, Dolan claimed the league doesn’t care oor want to hear about his opinions as a result of the league not showing any support in his lawsuit against the Raptors.
Whether or not Dolan will resolve his matters with the NBA and the other owners around the league is a major unknown. However, the lawsuit involving sexual assault allegations towards him has been dismissed, freeing the Knicks owner from standing trial on a very serious matter.
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