The Sphere CEO James L. Dolan's lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the sexual assault lawsuit filed against the chairman.
The legal battle started in January when Kellye Croft sued Dolan and claimed he hired her as a massage therapist during the Eagles tour where his band, J.D. and the Straight Shot, served as an opening act. The plaintiff claimed Dolan enticed her into a sexual relationship, adding that the convicted sex offender and infamous producer Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her.
Per Croft, Dolan was "unsympathetic" when she told him about the 2013 assault.
James L. Dolan Responds to the Lawsuit
In the filing shared by Billboard, Dolan's attorneys rebutted Croft's claims, which they called "completely manufactured."
"If this case were to proceed ... plaintiff would be exposed as such an opportunist, and her claims would be soundly rejected for the lies that they are," Dolan's attorney lead counsel E. Danya Perry, wrote in the motion. "But this action should never reach that stage, as plaintiff's complaint is entirely deficient."
"This transparent reliance on headline-grabbing, yet legally baseless, accusations of liability-by-association cannot save the plaintiff's case," the lawyers said of the allegations involving Weinstein, adding the "scandalous and irrelevant" claims were an attempt to compensate for flaws in the legal battle.
The representatives of the Madison Square Garden Entertainment boss noted in the motion that the inclusion of Weinstein in the case was a "fatal weakness."
On the other hand, Croft's attorney Douglas Wigdor called out the "shameful" response of Dolan and his team, explaining that the plaintiff was not involved and did not benefit from the bankruptcy proceedings for The Weinstein Company.
The Lawsuit Explained
The Tennessee woman filed the lawsuit in January and detailed the alleged incident when Dolan brought her to California to abuse her.
At the time, Dolan's attorney, E. Danya Perry, said both parties were friends and that the accusations were not true.
"Mr. Dolan always believed Ms. Croft to be a good person and is surprised she would agree to these claims. Bottom line, this is not a he said/she said matter and there is compelling evidence to back up our position. We look forward to proving that in court," the lawyer continued.
Dolan initially worked to expand the New York Rangers and New York Nicks before serving as the executive chairman and CEO of The Madison Square Garden.
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