Zion Williamson, a player for the New Orleans Pelicans, is facing allegations of rape stemming from a civil suit lodged in Los Angeles.
According to legal documents, the 24-year-old is charged with two separate incidents of rape that are said to have occurred in Beverly Hills in 2020.
The individual making the accusations is pursuing compensation for various claims including assault, sexual battery, domestic violence, burglary, stalking, and false imprisonment.
The lawsuit characterizes the reported mistreatment as encompassing “sexual, physical, emotional, and financial dimensions.”
Williamson, who was the top pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, is not currently subjected to any criminal prosecution.
The legal representatives of Williamson issued a statement labeling the accusations as “utterly false and irresponsible,” and indicated that the athlete’s legal team intends to pursue “substantial damages for this defamatory suit.”
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“This seems to be a scheme to take advantage of a professional athlete motivated by financial gain rather than any genuine complaint,” the law firm Barrasso-Usdin-Kupperman-Freeman & Sarver stated to the media in the US.
The firm asserts that Williamson had previously informed law enforcement about the accuser due to purported extortion efforts.
In a statement to US media, the attorney for the woman, Sam Taylor II, associated with the Lanier Law Firm in Los Angeles, remarked: “This situation is highly serious, as indicated by the detailed allegations presented in the complaint.”
The New Orleans Pelicans have been contacted for a response but to avail.