NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A woman who says she was in a long-term relationship with Zion Williamson has filed a civil lawsuit in California, accusing the NBA star of rape, assault, and kidnapping during the course of their time together.
The lawsuit, obtained by Fox 8, was filed under the pseudonym “Jane Doe,” and outlines allegations that span several years and multiple states, including California, Louisiana, and Texas.
The plaintiff claims she began dating Williamson in 2018, while he was playing college basketball at Duke University, and says the abuse began shortly after he was drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans.
The woman alleges that on Sept. 23, 2020, after visiting Williamson at his Beverly Hills rental during training, he raped and choked her while appearing intoxicated.
The suit claims he became angry after she said she was tired and wanted to sleep. She accuses him of calling her derogatory names before sexually assaulting her, throwing her phone, and screaming at her.
Another incident allegedly occurred on Oct. 10, 2020, when the woman says Williamson raped her a second time after she told him she wanted to visit friends in San Diego. She claims he took her phone and laptop afterward, preventing her from seeking medical care.
“These two incidents were not isolated,” the lawsuit states. The plaintiff alleges that Williamson “continued to abuse, rape, assault, and batter” her across multiple states through 2023.
The woman also accuses the New Orleans Pelicans player of repeated death threats, including threatening to have his security guard shoot her and kill her parents. In one alleged incident in Louisiana in 2022, she says Williamson pointed a loaded gun at her head.
The lawsuit claims Williamson beat her with his hands and feet, strangled her until she lost consciousness multiple times, and kidnapped her by locking her in a car and transporting her against her will. In one instance, she alleges he slammed a car door on her head during an attempted escape.
Williamson’s attorney, Michael Balascio, says they take the allegations with the “utmost seriousness, and we unequivocally deny them.”
Balascio says the two never dated, but maintained a consensual, casual relationship. He believes the lawsuit is consistent with previous extortion attempts that resulted in an arrest warrant being issued.
“This appears to be an attempt to exploit a professional athlete driven by a financial motive rather than any legitimate grievance,” the statement reads. “At no point during or immediately after that relationship did the plaintiff raise any concerns. Only after the friendship ended did she begin demanding millions of dollars.”
Williamson’s legal team plans to file counterclaims and seek damages.
“We don’t want to litigate this case in the media,” said Doe’s attorney, Sam E. Taylor of The Lanier Law Firm, in a statement. “But I will say this is a very serious case as reflected in the pleadings that have been filed, and our client looks forward to her day in court to seek justice in this matter.”
Fox 8 has reached out to The Lanier Law Firm and the New Orleans Pelicans for comment.
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