A domestic dispute between Tiger Woods and his ex-girlfriend has spilled over to the court in Florida after he broke up with her in October and allegedly took her to the seaside resort they shared on the Treasure Coast, according to court records obtained by USA TODAY Sports. was thrown out of the mansion. ,
Erica Herman, a former girlfriend, responded by filing a lawsuit, not against the golf legend but against a homestead trust she controls in Hobe Sound, Florida. She is now claiming damages of more than $30 million, saying the trust and its agents misappropriated $40,000 in cash, making “outrageous and defamatory allegations about how she obtained the money.”
Her lawsuit states that she had an “oral tenancy agreement” to stay at the home for five years after the breakup, in effect for six years prior to the breakup.
Their suit states, “The duties performed and expected of the plaintiffs were of an extensive and extraordinary nature in light of the overall circumstances and environment.”
In a separate complaint this week, she sued Wood and asked the court to release her from her nondisclosure agreement with Woods from 2017. In disputes involving sexual assault or harassment.
The two lawsuits are intertwined as attorneys for the Woods Trust try to enforce the NDA and push the dispute out of public court and into private arbitration.
The first suit against the trust was filed in October but was not reported till Wednesday
Lawsuit against trust
Harman’s lawsuit against the trust said, “Plaintiff has continually sought to be allowed back into her home, but has been refused by defendants’ agents.”
The lawsuit against the trust states that she was forced out by the “trickery” of the trust’s agents, who persuaded her to pack suitcases for a short vacation. When she arrived at the airport, they told her that she had been evicted from her residence, in violation of the oral tenancy agreement and in violation of Florida law, the lawsuit states.
The trust has responded to that lawsuit by asking the court to compel confidential arbitration of the dispute. It said the NDA between Woods and Harman required arbitration for such disputes and that it sued the trust instead of Woods to avoid this requirement and “to take advantage of its disputes with Mr. Woods in a public forum”. took advantage of.”
Woods established the trust in 2017, according to court records filed by the trust. Its only potential beneficiaries are Woods and his children. Its only asset is its ownership interest in this residence.
“Ms. Harman was invited to live in the residence while she was in a relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Aldrick (Tiger) Woods, who continues to live in the residence with their two children,” the court filing by the trust said. One document states. “After Mr. Woods recently ended the relationship, Ms. Harman was advised that she was no longer welcome at the residence.”
But Harman has fought back, citing a federal law that invalidates arbitration agreements that prevent a party from filing a lawsuit involving sexual assault and harassment in court. This law is called the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act 2021.
NDA
Herman, who worked as the manager of Woods’ restaurant in Jupiter, Florida, has not brought specific allegations of assault or harassment against her. Instead, she is asking a court to declare her NDA at least partially unenforceable, allowing her to have more say.
“This uncertainty is acute and significant,” said his court filing against Woods this week. “Due to the aggressive use of the Woods NDA against her by Defendant and the trust under its control, Plaintiff is uncertain whether she may, among other things, disclose facts giving rise to the various legal claims she believes are present. I am also unsure whether or with whom she can discuss her own life. Therefore there is an active dispute between the plaintiff and the defendant for which the plaintiff requires a clear declaration from the court.”
Harman’s suit against the trust stated that “all expenses which are in connection with, or in consequence of, the residence of the plaintiff, were to be fully paid by the defendant or his privates.” It also states that damages will be determined at trial “but may be estimated in excess of $30,000,000, given the substantial monthly rental value of the residence.”
Lawyers for both sides did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
Controversy has added to the list of troubles for Woods over the years away from the golf course. He recovered from a car accident near Los Angeles in 2021, the latest in a string of driving-related issues. He also divorced his wife Elin Nordegren in 2010 after she was embroiled in a sex scandal.