(AP) — Fort Lauderdale, Florida Despite her attorney’s claims to the contrary, Tiger Woods’ ex-girlfriend has withdrawn her complaints against the golf superstar and the trust that owns his Florida property, claiming she never accused him of sexual harassment.
Erica Herman’s lawyer voluntarily dismissed her $30 million case against the trust “with prejudice,” which means the claim cannot be re-asserted later, in a one-paragraph letter filed in state court last week. She had stated that Woods had abruptly ejected her from the 30,000-square-foot (2,800-square-meter) beachside property last year, despite having told her she could stay there until 2026.
The lawyer Benjamin Hodas wrote, “In dismissing this action, Erica Herman states that she was never a victim of sexual harassment or sexual abuse at the hands of Tiger Woods or any of his agents and it is her position that she has never asserted such a claim.” Hodas had made repeated claims that Tiger Woods had sexually harassed his client.
According to court filings this week, a judge denied an appeal of a May verdict in a separate complaint against Woods. There is no indication in the court files that either litigation has been resolved, however that may have taken place behind closed doors.
A call and email asking for a statement on Thursday were not answered by Hodas. J.B. Murray, Woods’ lawyer, declined to comment.
Herman lived in Woods’ $54 million property north of Palm Beach in 2016 and was his girlfriend from 2015 to October 2022. Before and during the early years of their personal relationship, she oversaw his restaurant in Palm Beach County. In 2017, she agreed to a nondisclosure agreement that prohibited her from talking about their relationship in public. It also mandated that she pursue private arbitration rather than going to court in the event of a legal dispute with Woods.
In a May court hearing, Hodas asserted that although Herman didn’t recall signing the paperwork, she did so under duress after being threatened with termination from the restaurant if she didn’t.
Hodas said that a recent federal statute that voids such contracts in cases of sexual abuse or harassment rendered the nondisclosure agreement unlawful. He argued that Woods’ purported threat to terminate her amounted to harassment.
According to Hodas, it constitutes sexual harassment when a boss treats an employee differently at work because of their sexual relationship. This was stated in a May filing.
Herman tried to have the nondisclosure agreement revoked later in May, but Circuit Judge Elizabeth Metzger dismissed her case, describing Herman’s claims as “vague and threadbare.”
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