GLENDALE - A woman who alleges former boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya sexually assaulted her in 2017 can keep her name anonymous in court documents related to her lawsuit, a Glendale Superior Court judge ruled.
“The court ... finds that ordering the sealing of plaintiff's identifying information is the least restrictive means to achieve the overriding interest in protecting plaintiff's privacy,'' Judge Curtis A. Kin wrote in his Friday ruling.
Neither De La Hoya or the plaintiff, nor their attorneys, showed up for Friday's hearing, so Kin set another hearing for Sept. 16, at which time both sides may be fined $500 for failing to appear.
The woman, identified only as “Jane Doe'' in the lawsuit filed Oct. 17, alleges that De La Hoya held her down against her will and sexually abused her in November 2017 at his Pasadena home.
Doe alleges that prior to sexually assaulting her, De La Hoya had become increasingly intoxicated and asked the then-29-year-old woman to engage in various sex acts, which she declined.
The woman's lawyers filed court papers asking that the defense be required to leave the plaintiff's name out of their court papers, saying she would otherwise be “thereafter defined by the global media's portrayal of her, and left without a path to reclaim her identity as anything other than the victim of a celebrity athlete's sexual assault.''
The plaintiffs' attorneys argued “the same major media outlets that previously reported and publicized the instant action will broadcast Ms. Doe's identity and status as a sexual assault victim across the globe if her identity is not kept out of the records in this case.''
De La Hoya's lawyers argued in their court papers that the motion should be denied because it “runs afoul of California's strong public policy in favor of open court proceedings and the right of ... Oscar De La Hoya to a fair and open trial.''
Doe has an ulterior motive in wanting to keep her name out of the court record, according to the defense's court papers.
“Simply put, plaintiff is not seeking to remain anonymous because of any reasonable or legitimate concerns, but rather, she is afraid of the truth coming out,'' De La Hoya's attorneys allege. “She is scared that once the public knows who plaintiff is, (De La Hoya) will be able to clear his name in this bogus lawsuit.''
Doe's decision to file a lawsuit “rife with irrelevant, defamatory and salacious allegations'' against De La Hoya, and releasing that complaint to the press, demonstrate that the public has a right to know the truth about who is making these allegations, the defense's court papers state.
De La Hoya, 47, is CEO of Golden Boy Promotions and an International Boxing Hall of Fame member.
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