LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A lawsuit brought by a woman who alleged former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig sexually assaulted her at Staples Center has been dismissed after the athlete agreed to pay a settlement,according to court papers obtained this morning.
Puig was sued for sexual battery, assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence and false imprisonment last winter in Los Angeles by a woman identified only as Jane Roe. The alleged assault occurred at a Los Angeles Lakers game in 2018.
A federal judge on Monday issued an order dismissing the case without prejudice, stating that it can be reopened if settlement is not consummated within 30 days. A notice filed by the parties Thursday announced the lawsuit had been resolved.
Puig tweeted that the settlement gives $100,000 to the claimant and maintains that he “did not on any occasion inappropriately touch, annoy or assault the claimant.” His attorney said that any encounter was entirely consensual.
The 30-year-old athlete posted on Twitter that he badly wanted to take the matter to court, but a trial would not take place until May 2022 at the earliest. Puig said he did not want the legal proceedings to cast a shadow on the 2022 MLB season.
The alleged attack happened during a Laker game at Staples Center on Oct. 31, 2018. The plaintiff did not know Puig and met him briefly while watching the basketball contest in the VIP lounge, according to the suit.
Roe alleges Puig grabbed her and forced her into a bathroom in the Chairman's Room lounge. Puig tried to pull off her clothes, touched her inappropriately and pinned her with one arm while he committed a lewd act, the suit alleges.
“The defendant is a professional athlete who used his celebrity status to intimidate and sexually assault a stranger,” plaintiff's attorney Taylor Rayfield said when the case was filed. “His brazen attack has caused emotional and psychological injuries to our client which have severely impacted her life.”
Roe has said she came forward and filed the lawsuit because she believes she is not Puig's only such victim, and suspects more women have experienced similar assaults.
“I was in complete shock because it all happened so fast,” Roe said.
“It was terrifying and humiliating and I don't want anyone else to have to suffer the same kind of trauma that I'm experiencing.”
Puig signed a seven-year, $42 million contract to play for the Dodgers in 2013. Most recently, the outfielder played for the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians.