Just like his career, the love story of the most popular golfer in the world named Tiger Woods is also interesting to watch. This time he is having a war with his ex-girlfriend who was in a relationship with him for five years named Erica Herman. The woman has filed a pair of lawsuits after breaking up with him. All of them were made to the circuit court in Martin County, Florida.
The first one filed in October last year, according to Golf.com. It was only 13 days after their breakup. Actually, Herman did not file a lawsuit against Woods and did not name him as a defendant. Instead, she filed it against the Jupiter Island Irrevocable Homestead Trust for violating the Florida Residential Landlord Tenant Act by breaking an oral tenancy agreement. For anyone who has no idea about Jupiter Island Irrevocable Homestead Trust, it is a trust owned by Woods called Woods and the one that has his property in Hobe Sound, Fla.
Basically, Herman was forced to leave the house even though according to the agreement with Woods she is allowed to stay at the residence for about 11 years, meaning she has five more years left. As written in the lawsuit, she was told to pack a suitcase for a short vacation. Right after arriving at the airport, she realized that she had been locked out of the house. Apart from getting kicked out of the house, her belongings were also removed from the place and her cash of about $40,000 was taken off. For this case, the woman is demanding $30 million in damages.
In response to the complaint made by Herman, two months later, the Jupiter Island Irrevocable Homestead Trust filed a motion for the court to dismiss with prejudice. They said that the fight between both of them started when the athlete decided to take a separate path with Herman and told her that she was no longer welcome in his place.
Furthermore, the Jupiter Island Irrevocable Homestead Trust stated that confidential arbitration in all disputes between Herman and Woods require the non-disclosure agreement or NDA. Besides, they also said that her lawsuit violates that agreement. Apparently, a copy of the agreement is attached to the motion. However, the version of that document that is available for the public has been redacted.
As for the second lawsuit, Erica Herman filed it last week. This time, she named Tiger Woods as the defendant. The woman is demanding herself to be released from her non-disclosure agreement or NDA with Woods that they signed in 2017. She is asking the court to declare that the agreement is invalid under the federal Speak Out Act, the one that prohibits the judicial of NDAs in disputes that involve sexual assault or harassment.
According to Harig, here is what the attorney that represents Herman, Benjamin Hobas, wrote in the filing:
“Tiger Woods, the internationally renowned athlete and one of the most powerful figures in global sports, decided to pursue a sexual relationship with his employee, then – according to him – forced her to sign an NDA about it or else be fired from her job. And, when he became disgruntled with their sexual relationship, he tricked her into leaving her home, locked her out, took her cash, pets, and personal possessions, and tried to strong-arm her into signing a different NDA.”
Here is what it is said in the filing:
“Then, Mr. Wood’s California lawyer, out of the blue, told her that she was not going anywhere, would never see Mr. Woods again, had been locked out of the house, and could not return. She would not even be able to see the children or her pets again. While still in the hangar, ‘Ray Donovan (a fictional character) with a pen’ proceeded to insult Ms. Herman, (advised) her she had no legal rights, and (tried) to force her to agree to a (different) non-disclosure and arbitration agreement.”
J.B. Murray, the Tiger Wood’s attorney, denied Erica Herman’s claim that said his client assaulted or harassed her. He said it is utterly meritless. Boca Raton divorce attorney Jason Brodie said that it is an interesting argument when talking about Wood’s threat to fire her if she did not sign the contract was harassment. He said these two were never married, meaning Herman did not have any rights. Woods knows that. That’s why he asked her to leave his house.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
