NY Knicks owner James Dolan is accused of sexual assault in a federal lawsuit.
According to a federal lawsuit filed in Los Angeles on Tuesday, a woman claims that New York Knicks owner James Dolan sexually assaulted her ten years ago and then set her up to be molested by now-imprisoned film producer Harvey Weinstein.
Kellye Croft, the plaintiff, was a 27-year-old licensed massage therapist who was on an Eagles tour in 2013. JD & The Straight Shot, Dolan’s band, served as the rock group’s opener. On the tour, Dolan—who was 58 at the time—allegedly used his authority and clout to bully and coerce Croft “to submit to sex with him,” according to the lawsuit.
Generally speaking, the Associated Press does not identify victims of sexual assault unless they come forward and give their permission, as Croft has done.
According to the lawsuit, Dolan flew Croft to Los Angeles when the tour went there, despite the fact that very few tour participants scheduled massage appointments. The lawsuit claims that Dolan then proceeded to “sexually exploit” her and arranged for Croft and his friend Weinstein to meet in a hotel elevator at the beginning of 2014.
According to the lawsuit, Weinstein asked Croft to give him a massage and changed into a loosely tied bathrobe in his suite. He also allegedly offered her opportunities to work on movie sets.
Uneasy, she left the suite, but Weinstein followed her—the suit charges—still wearing his bathrobe. According to the lawsuit, he pushed his way into her hotel room and assaulted her sexually. She claims that when she informed Dolan about the purported attack, he did not appear shocked or offer to assist her in reporting the assault to the police.
According to Croft, Dolan informed her that Weinstein “has problems” and that “we all know” about his mistreatment of women.
“Indeed, with his comments, Ms. Croft felt that Dolan completely dismissed the gravity of the situation and did not truly care about what his friend had done to her,” the complaint states.
For roughly a year in 2015 and 2016, Dolan served as a member of Weinstein’s film production company’s board of directors. Dolan was named in a lawsuit filed in 2017 against board members who were accused of knowing about Weinstein’s mistreatment of women but failing to take action to stop it.
38-year-old Croft is requesting an unspecified damages award and a jury trial.
“I have suffered so profoundly because of what James Dolan and Harvey Weinstein did to me years ago, and it was not an easy decision to come forward and seek justice,” she said in a press release. “But for me, to truly address my trauma, I need to seek accountability.”
Dolan leads the NHL’s Rangers and the NBA’s Knicks in his capacity as executive chairman of Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. E. Danya Perry, his attorney, stated that Croft’s accusations have “absolutely no merit” and that any mention of Weinstein is “simply meant to inflame.”
“James Dolan and Kellye Croft were friends,” Perry stated in a release. In summary, this is not a case of he said/she said, and our position is strongly supported by the available data. We’re eager to demonstrate that in court.”
After stating that he had only read news reports regarding the lawsuit, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver declined to address the accusations directly on Tuesday, saying, “so we’ll stand by and wait to find out more information.” In the event of misconduct, Silver’s authority as commissioner is extensive.
Currently awaiting appeal, Weinstein is serving a 23-year sentence for a New York rape and sexual assault conviction. The scandalized film mogul was also found guilty in 2022 in Los Angeles and given a 16-year sentence for the rape and sexual assault of an Italian model and actor who was identified as Jane Doe 1 during the trial. An appeal is also pending in the Los Angeles case.
On Tuesday, his lawyer refuted Croft’s claims.
Attorney Jennifer Bonjean released a statement in which she said, “Mr. Weinstein vehemently denies these meritless allegations and looks forward to litigating these claims in a court of law where the truth will be revealed.”
Under Dolan’s ownership, the Madison Square Garden organization has been the target of several lawsuits. Most notably, former team executive Anucha Browne Sanders claimed she was sexually harassed by former team president Isiah Thomas. The organization did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.
Instead of attempting to reach a settlement, Dolan supported Thomas, who insisted on his innocence and was never found to be personally liable. In 2007, a jury awarded $11.6 million US to Browne Sanders. David Stern, a former NBA commissioner, described the decision to proceed with the trial as “not a model of intelligent management.”
After being forcibly arrested during a game in 2017, former Knicks player Charles Oakley filed a lawsuit against Dolan; however, the lawsuit was dismissed by a judge three years later.
More recently, a longtime Madison Square Garden Entertainment customer filed a lawsuit against the company after their tickets were canceled and they started representing a group accusing MSG of breaking New York’s Arts and Cultural Affairs Law.
