Lawsuit allegations
The Sphere concert venue might be the hottest ticket in town in Las Vegas right now, but its CEO has found himself in hot water over sexual assault litigation. The lawsuit accuses James Dolan of sexually assaulting a young masseuse, and later trafficking her for disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein.
Dolan repeatedly assaulted her when he was on a concert tour with the Eagles
Kellye Croft, a former massage therapist for the Eagles rock band, filed the litigation in California federal court on Tuesday. It claims that Dolan repeatedly assaulted her when he was on a concert tour with the Eagles in 2013, during his time in the band JD & The Straight Shot.
The following year, Dolan supposedly set Croft up for a “chance” meeting with Weinstein, who has since been accused of sexual assault by 80+ women. There, she was also assaulted.
“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,” Croft explained. “But for me, to truly address my trauma, I need to seek accountability.”
Repeated assault
Croft provides the details of the abuse in the litigation.
According to the plaintiff, the trouble started when she gave Croft a massage on the concert tour in 2013. Seeing her “resistance as part of a challenge or a game,” Dolan pressured Croft into “unwanted sexual intercourse” with him. This repeated multiple times, often in Dolan’s hotel room where Croft “felt obligated to submit to sex with him.”
The following year, Dolan – who owns the New York Knicks through Madison Square Garden Sports – supposedly arranged for Croft to meet Weinstein. When Croft found Weinstein in her hotel in 2014, he introduced himself as one of Dolan’s “best friends.” The lawsuit says he then tried “to intimidate Ms. Croft into giving him a naked massage” before sexually assaulting her.
Croft, now 38, said that she hopes the lawsuit will force Dolan to acknowledge his actions and “take responsibility for the harm he has caused.” She is seeking unspecified monetary damages in the jury trial.
Dolan responds
Dolan has denied the allegations. E.Danya Perry, an attorney for the Sphere CEO, said: “There is absolutely no merit to any of the allegations against Mr. Dolan,” adding: “Kellye Croft and James Dolan had a friendship.”
the truth will be revealed”
She goes on to claim that the accusations against Harvey Weinstein are also baseless, insinuating that they are “plagiarized from prior cases” against the movie producer. In a similar vein, Jennifer Bonjean, a lawyer for Weinstein, also denied the claims. “We look forward to litigating this case in a court of law where the truth will be revealed,” Bonjean asserted.
