Lawsuit alleges James Dolan pressured woman into sex

A woman filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday accusing James L. Dolan, the entertainment and sports mogul behind Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks, of pressuring her into unwanted sex and then coordinating a meeting with Harvey Weinstein , who she accused of sexually assaulting her. .

The woman, Kellye Croft, says in the court filing that she told Mr. Dolan — a former friend and business associate of Mr. Weinstein — about the alleged incident after it occurred in early 2014, years before Mr. Dolan made public statements that he was unaware of Mr. Weinstein's history of misconduct.

In her lawsuit, filed in Federal District Court in Los Angeles, Ms. Croft says she was hired in late 2013, when she was 27, to work as a massage therapist during a tour by the classic rock band Eagles. Mr. Dolan – who is best known as a blues rock musician – was an opening act with his band JD & the Straight Shot.

In the court papers, Ms Croft describes the experience as a dream gig that went wrong because of the misconduct of two men who were among the most powerful figures in media and entertainment. First, Ms. Croft's lawsuit says, she was pressured into unwanted sex with Mr. Dolan, and then found herself alone in a Beverly Hills hotel room with Mr. Weinstein, who chased her down a hallway, held her down and penetrated her into her. shall.

In a statement, Ms Croft said: “James Dolan manipulated me, took me to California to abuse me and then set me up for a vicious attack by Weinstein.”

E. Danya Perry, an attorney for Mr. Dolan, said in a statement: “There is absolutely no basis for the allegations against Mr. Dolan. Kellye Croft and James Dolan had a friendship.” She added: “Mr. Dolan has always regarded Mrs. Croft as a good person and is surprised that she agrees with these claims. In short, this is not a he said/she said and there is compelling evidence to support our position. We look forward to proving that in court.”

Jennifer Bonjean, a lawyer for Mr. Weinstein, said he “vehemently denies these baseless allegations and looks forward to litigating these claims in court, where the truth will come to light.”

Douglas H. Wigdor, an attorney for Ms. Croft, said, “With today's filing of the complaint, it is time to finally hold Dolan accountable for his outrageous behavior.”

The lawsuit accuses Mr. Dolan of sex trafficking for these incidents, arguing that he facilitated her transportation “for the purpose of sex induced by force, fraud, or coercion.” The lawsuit also accuses Mr. Dolan and Mr. Weinstein — who are serving a 23-year prison sentence for sex crimes — of sexual assault and forcible touching.

Ms. Croft's complaint states that she was hired as a tour masseur for Glenn Frey, a founding member of Eagles, who died in 2016, but was allowed to book massage appointments for other members of the tour. She says Mr. Dolan intervened on her behalf when she had a conflict with a tour manager who was later fired, and that Ms. Croft came to understand how powerful Mr. Dolan was when he allowed Mr. Frey to “repeatedly and lavishly” with her to apologize. ' about the issue.

Mr. Dolan booked a massage, and at his appointment, the suit says, he dragged Ms. Croft to a couch and pushed her hands between his knees. She resisted, she says, and was “adamant” she didn't want a sexual relationship, but he pressured her into having sex. According to court papers, Mr. Dolan called Ms. Croft to his room several times during the tour and she felt obliged to have sex with him.

In January 2014, the lawsuit says, Ms. Croft rejoined the tour in the Los Angeles area, where Eagles had a residency at the Forum. But the lawsuit says the real reason for her presence was that Mr. Dolan “wanted to sexually exploit Ms. Croft.”

On that same trip, Ms. Croft says she met Mr. Weinstein in a meeting that the lawsuit alleges was coordinated by Mr. Dolan. While waiting for the elevator at her hotel, Ms. Croft, she says, chatted with Mr. Weinstein, who invited her to his room to discuss a job giving massages to actors on movie sets. Although the lawsuit states that Mr. Weinstein asked her if she was “the massage therapist” and said Mr. Dolan had said great things about her, the lawsuit does not elaborate on the claim that Mr. Dolan had her meeting with her coordinated”. Mr. Weinstein.

The suit says Ms. Croft felt uncomfortable when Mr. Weinstein asked her to try on clothes in his presence — she had just been shopping and still had her bags with her — and then asked for a massage on his bed. She started walking down the hall to her own room, but Mr. Weinstein, in a bathrobe, followed her.

Ms. Croft says in her suit that Mr. Weinstein entered her room and began sexually assaulting her, but stopped when the phone rang.

It was Mr. Dolan who called, and Mr. Weinstein left her room. According to the lawsuit, Ms. Croft went to Mr. Dolan's room and told him about the attack. She said in the lawsuits that Mr. Dolan said he was “not surprised at all” and that Mr. Weinstein was “a troubled person” who had many “serious issues” but that his friends “tried to get him to talk about these issues.” to take.”

Mr. Dolan and Mr. Weinstein had been close friends for years, and Mr. Dolan served as a board member of the Weinstein Company, Mr. Weinstein's production company, for about a year beginning in 2015.

In 2018, after investigations by The New York Times and The New Yorker exposed Mr. Weinstein's history of sexual misconduct, and he was accused of harassment or assault by dozens of women, Mr. Dolan released a song with his band, JD & the Straight Shot called “I should have known.” The text is about a broken friendship:

I should have known
I should have thrown
Myself over his tracks
Stopped him from these vicious attacks

In interviews in which the song was published, Mr. Dolan linked it to Mr. Weinstein “and others” who were revealed to have assaulted or abused women. “What have I missed?” Mr. Dolan said in an interview.

He also cast doubt on a lawsuit filed in late 2017 by six female victims of Mr. Weinstein, who alleged that a number of men who had served as board members of the Weinstein Company had known of Mr. Weinstein's predatory behavior and were complicit. when covering it.

“I just think it's ridiculous,” Mr. Dolan said of the lawsuit in a interview with ESPN next year. The Weinstein Company was declared bankrupt and the lawsuit was eventually settled, but executives and directors of the company, including Mr. Dolan, were exempt from claims.