Pelicans forward Zion Williamson is accused of rape in a Los Angeles court filing.
The unidentified plaintiff claims her relationship with Williamson began in 2018, when he was at Duke University, but says it abusive in the 2020s.
According to the civil filing, the woman says Williamson first raped her in September of 2020, in a home Williamson was renting in Beverly Hills.
She claims Williamson raped her again in October of that year, in the same home.
In a statement to our partners at NOLA.com, Sam Taylor, the woman's attorney, said "We and our client don't want to litigate this in the press. This is a very serious case as reflected in the allegations."
Williamson, though his attorneys, denies the allegations and says he is the victim of extortion. The basketball player also intends to file a defamation suit.
"We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and we unequivocally deny them," Williamson's legal team says "The allegations contained in the complaint are categorically false and reckless. This is the plaintiff's third set of attorneys. This appears to be an attempt to exploit a professional athlete driven by a financial motive rather than any legitimate grievance."
Williamson's lawyers say an arrest warrant has been issued in connection with their claims of extortion.
"We are prepared to provide the court with documentation that supports these facts," the statement said.
See Williamson's full statement below.
The plaintiff's court filing outlines accusations of years of physical abuse including strangulation, death threats made against her and her family, and suffocation until she lost consciousness.
The suit also claims Williamson tracked the woman's location around the clock, monitored who she was spending time with, followed her home from work or sent someone else to follow her, going through her phone and laptop, and entering her residence without permission to wait for her to get home.
The complainant says this happened in California, Texas, and Louisiana until the relationship ended in 2023.
WWL.com
