A Tennessee woman filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday accusing James Dolan, president of Madison Square Garden and governor of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, of pressuring her to have unwanted sex nearly a decade ago while also facilitating a meeting with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. , who she also alleged sexually assaulted her.
In the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and obtained by ESPN, Kelly Croft says she was 27 years old and working as a licensed massage therapist when she met Dolan in the fall of 2013 while on tour with a rock band. , the Eagles. (Dolan’s band, JD & The Straight Shot, opened for the Eagles during the tour.)
The lawsuit alleges that, during one encounter, Dolan became “extremely assertive and pressured Ms. Croft into having unwanted sexual intercourse with him.” In subsequent encounters, Croft was called into Dolan’s room, where he made “unwelcome advances toward Ms. Croft, and she felt obligated to have sex with him,” the lawsuit alleges.
Croft alleged that in January 2014, Dolan helped arrange her travel to Los Angeles to join the tour. There, Croft claimed, she met Weinstein at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where Dolan was paying her to stay. She claimed that Weinstein introduced himself as one of Dolan’s “best friends” and then asked her if she was the massage therapist Dolan had previously mentioned and praised.
She accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting her at the hotel, and later told Dolan, who allegedly responded by telling her that Weinstein was a “troubled person” with “serious issues.” This incident preceded Weinstein’s years of conviction for sexual assault following investigative reporting in 2017 by both The New York Times and The New Yorker magazine.
This alleged incident also preceded statements by Dolan in which he said he was not aware that Weinstein, who was a close friend, was frequently abusing women. In 2018, Dolan, who served as a board member of The Weinstein Company in 2015 and 2016, released a song with his band called “I Should Have Known,” which he later linked in part to Weinstein. .
ESPN does not typically name victims of sexual assault, but Croft issued a public statement on Tuesday, saying in part: “James Dolan manipulated me, brought me to California to abuse me, and then viciously attacked me with Weinstein. I hope I can.” “It is that my lawsuit will force Dolan to admit what he did to me and take responsibility for the harm he caused.”
Croft, now 38, is seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages.
Dolan’s attorney, Dania Perry, rejected the allegations.
“There is absolutely no merit to any of the allegations made against Mr. Dolan. Kelly Croft and James Dolan had a friendship,” Perry wrote in a statement provided to ESPN. “The references to Harvey Weinstein are simply intended to inflame prior cases against Mr. Weinstein and appear plagiarized. These allegations reflect an act of retaliation by an attorney who has brought multiple cases against Mr. Dolan and has not, and cannot, win.” Win, ruled against. Mr. Dolan always thinks Mrs. Croft is a good person and is surprised that she would agree to these claims.
“The bottom line is, this is not what he/she said, and there is overwhelming evidence to support our position. We look forward to proving that in court.”
Weinstein’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, said in a statement provided to ESPN that Weinstein “vigorously denies the baseless allegations in the recently filed lawsuit. We look forward to litigating this case in a court of law where the truth will be revealed.”
Weinstein, who was originally sentenced to 23 years in prison for sexual assault, had an additional 16 years added last year for rape and sexual assault in a separate case.
During a press conference Tuesday to announce that the 2026 NBA All-Star Game will be held at the Los Angeles Clippers’ soon-to-open Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the lawsuit, saying that He only read an article but knew nothing more.
“We will stand by and wait to learn more information,” Silver said.
In a statement to ESPN, Douglas H. Wigdor, Kroft’s attorney, responded to Silver’s statements.
“This is a puzzling response for the commissioner,” Wigdor told ESPN. “No reputable president in corporate America would stand by and ‘wait’ after reading that a federal complaint has been filed against one of their executives alleging sexual assault and sex trafficking. The NBA and NHL should be no different on this matter.” We stand fully prepared to participate in any fair and impartial investigation conducted by both commissioners as these allegations are relevant to the integrity and public confidence in the respective leagues.”
ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk contributed to this report.