Tiger Woods' former girlfriend Erica Herman has accused the golf star of sexually abusing her in a bombshell new court filing. Herman has also accused Woods of tricking her into leaving his Florida mansion by asking her to go on a "short vacation", only to ouster her from his home amid their messy split, court documents reveal.
According to a DailMail.com report, Herman, 39, made the startling allegation in a suit in which she is trying to void a non-disclosure agreement that she claims she was forced to sign. She provides no further information about what the alleged abuse entailed, just ticking the 'yes' box next to the statement "Does this case involve allegations of sexual abuse?"
Bombshell Allegations
According to a separate court document obtained by the outlet, Herman claims that Woods deceived her into leaving the Florida mansion where they had lived together for six years, and is suing him for $30 million for 'severe' mental trauma.
The couple's separation became public only on Wednesday after details surrounding their months-long court battle, which had previously remained private, came to light as Herman attempted to invalidate a non-disclosure agreement that she had signed in 2017.
According to the documents, their legal dispute began in October when Herman filed a landlord complaint stating that Woods, 47, had locked her out from his expansive Jupiter home using "trickery" and had then persistently refused to let her back in.
In documents filed in October, Herman claims that the former World No. 1 convinced her to take a "short vacation", but when she arrived at the airport, his staff informed her that she had been booted out.
Herman claims that Woods paid for a "hotel room and certain expenses for a short amount of time" and "frightened her away from returning" to the place.
Herman alleges that Woods's agents took $40,000 from her and spread "scurrilous and defamatory charges" about how she acquired the funds.
Herman said in the landlord's lawsuit that she and the golf pro had an "oral agreement" that allowed her to stay at the home for a total of 11 years and that she still had five years left when Woods ended their relationship.
She claimed in court documents that she was entitled to compensation of roughly $30 million based on the remaining duration of her five-year tenancy.
Bitter Court Battle
In court filings, Woods' attorney responded to the ex-girlfriend's case and claimed Herman was the one who took her belongings after the golfing legend abandoned her and informed her "she was no longer welcome in his residence."
Herman couldn't claim to be a tenant, according to Woods' counsel, because oral tenancy agreements in Florida are only valid for a short period of time (less than a year).
The NDA Herman signed in August 2017 at the start of their relationship required them to resolve any disputes through arbitration, not in court, according to a later petition filed by his legal team.
"By suing the Trust rather than Mr. Woods, Ms. Herman seeks to evade her obligation to adjudicate her claims in a confidential arbitration and, instead, seeks to gain leverage by litigating her disputes with Mr. Woods in a public forum," that motion, filed in October, stated.
Herman's attorney responded by asking the court on January 19 to decide whether the arbitration agreement was enforceable because the matter shouldn't be resolved in private under a sexual assault and harassment law.
Later, on Monday, Herman filed court proceedings to have her NDA revoked, using the Speak Out Act statute, which permits the revocation of such contracts in cases of sexual assault or harassment.
According to the most recent complaint, Herman is asking for clarification over what information about her nearly six-year relationship with the golfing champion she is legally permitted to make public.
Herman's lawyers want to know if she can publicly share photos and recordings of herself and her family, as well as material from other "sources" who aren't subject to the non-disclosure agreement, in the event that a judge determines that her NDA is genuine.
