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The federal sexual assault and sex trafficking lawsuit filed against New York Knicks and Rangers owner James Dolan was dismissed this week.
U.S. District Court Judge Percy Anderson dismissed all four counts of the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles earlier this year by Kellye Croft. Anderson dismissed the specific allegation of sex trafficking with prejudice in his Tuesday order, meaning it can’t be refiled. Croft’s lawyers vowed to appeal the decision.
“We are very pleased with the dismissal of the lawsuit, which was a malicious attempt to assert horrific allegations by an attorney who subverts the legal system for personal gain—this also happens to be the same attorney in the Charles Oakley case,” a spokesperson for Dolan said in a statement to Front Office Sports.
Croft sued Dolan, his company (MSG Entertainment), Eagles manager Irving Azoff, and disgraced former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein in January; allegations centered on her time as a massage therapist on tour with the Eagles more than a decade ago. Croft’s lead lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, is also the attorney of record in Oakley’s long-running lawsuit against Dolan and MSG over the former Knick player’s ejection from a game in 2017.
“We respectfully disagree with the District Court’s decision, which we believe incorrectly interprets the federal sex trafficking law and undermines critically important protections for sex trafficking survivors,” said Kevin Mintzer and Meredith Firetog, two of Croft’s other attorneys, in a statement to FOS. “We will be appealing this decision and are confident that the Court of Appeals will correct this injustice.”
They added: “We will also continue to pursue Ms. Croft’s sexual battery claims against James Dolan and Harvey Weinstein, which remain unaffected by the decision. Our fight for Ms. Croft is just beginning.”
In the original complaint, Croft alleged that Dolan flew her to Los Angeles in January 2014 as part of her work on the Eagles’ tour. On that trip, she alleged Weinstein sexually assaulted her in a hotel room. Croft alleged that she “immediately” told Dolan about the incident. Dolan purportedly responded, “We all know” Weinstein “has problems,” and associates of Weinstein were “trying to get him ‘help.’”
Weinstein was convicted of rape in Los Angeles in 2022 and was sentenced to 16 years in prison. His 2020 conviction in New York was overturned by an appeals court in April, and he pleaded not guilty earlier this week after prosecutors refiled the case. New York prosecutors recently added additional charges to the case.
