NBA star Zion Williamson accused of raping ex-girlfriend while living in Beverly Hills
New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson has been accused of raping and abusing a woman who says she dated the former Duke standout and No. 1 overall draft pick from 2018-2023.
In a civil lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, a woman identified as Jane Doe provides details of two alleged instances in 2020 during which Williamson raped her in a Beverly Hills apartment he was renting at the time.
"These two incidents were not isolated," the lawsuit states. "Defendant continued to abuse, rape, assault, and batter Plaintiff in California and other states, including Louisiana and Texas, until the relationship ended in 2023."
Williamson's accuser is seeking unspecified damages for nine causes of action that include assault, sexual battery, domestic violence, burglary, stalking and false imprisonment.
Read more: Shannon Sharpe steps away from ESPN after women's $50-million rape, $14-million defamation lawsuits
"Our client and we do not want to litigate this case in the press. That's not our intent," attorney Sam Taylor from the Lanier Law Firm, which is representing the accuser, told The Times on Friday.
"However, I do say this is a very serious case, reflected in the allegations in the complaint. Our client just looks forward to her day in court where she can talk to a jury of her peers and tell them what happened to her and how bad it was and see justice against Mr. Williamson.'
Taylor said that "as of now," his client is not planning to file lawsuits in any of the other locations where alleged incidents took place.
The Times attempted to reach Williamson's agent and did not immediately receive a response.
According to the lawsuit, the two began dating during Williamson's freshman, and only, year at Duke, where he played during the 2018-19 season.
'During the course of their relationship, Defendant engaged in a continuing pattern of abusive, controlling, and threatening behavior toward Plaintiff,' the lawsuit states. 'His wrongful conduct occurred in Louisiana and continued thereafter across several states. The abuse was sexual, physical, emotional, and financial in nature.'
Williamson moved to Beverly Hills for training and rented a house in the area during the fall of 2020, according to the filing. The lawsuit provides explicit details of two alleged instances in which Williamson raped the accuser, 'on or about' Sept. 23, 2020, and on Oct. 10, 2020.
The lawsuit also alleges that Williamson committed many other 'acts of criminal violence' against his accuser during their relationship, including strangling her multiple times to the point she lost consciousness, suffocating and/or smothering her, beating and kicking her, threatening to kill her and her family members, and pointing a loaded firearm to her head.
Williamson 'was either drunk or on cocaine' while allegedly committing many of those acts, the lawsuit states.
'As a direct and proximate result of Defendant's conduct, Plaintiff has suffered severe emotional distress, anxiety, depression, humiliation, loss of sleep, and other physical and emotional injuries,' the lawsuit states. 'As a further direct and proximate result of Defendant's conduct, Plaintiff has incurred expenses for medical and psychological treatment, therapy, and counseling.'
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Gavin Newsom's own recent remark to conservative activist Charlie Kirk that transgender girls competing in sports is 'deeply unfair.' The remark came in a conversation on Newsom's podcast in March, in which Hernandez was also singled out. Kirk, a co-founder of the conservative organization Turning Point USA, asked Newsom whether he would voice his opposition to Hernandez competing in girls' track and field events. Newsom said he agreed such situations were 'unfair' but that he also took issue with 'the way that people talk down to vulnerable communities,' including transgender people. When Kirk suggested Newsom could say that he has 'a heart for' Hernandez but still thinks her competing is unfair, Newsom again said he agreed. Newsom has issued no such statement since. But, the playing field has shifted in California for transgender athletes since Trump started talking about Hernandez. On Wednesday, the CIF announced a change in its rules for this weekend's championships. Under the new rules, a cisgender girl who is bumped from qualifying for an event final by a transgender athlete will still advance to compete in the finals. In addition, the federation said, any cisgender girl who is beaten by a transgender competitor will be awarded whichever medal she would have claimed had the transgender athlete not been competing. The CIF did not mention Hernandez by name in announcing its policy change, but it did make direct reference to the high jump, triple jump and long jump — the three events in which she was to compete. Under the new rules, Hernandez shared her place on each of the event podiums with other girls. The CIF did not respond to a list of questions about its new policy. A spokesman for Newsom applauded the change, but others were unimpressed. Critics of transgender athletes rejected it as insufficient and demanded a full ban on transgender athletes. Fulfer, the protester on the bullhorn, said the CIF was 'admitting that they've got it wrong for a long time' while still not doing enough to fix it — which Trump would see clearly. 'I hope Donald Trump sees what happens this weekend, and I hope he pulls the funding away from California,' Fulfer said. LGBTQ+ advocates also criticized the rule change, but for different reasons, calling it a crass capitulation that singled out a teenager to appease a crowd of bullies picking a political fight. 'The fact that these same political players continue to bully and harass one child, even after CIF changed its policy, shows this was never about sports or fairness,' said Kristi Hirst, co-founder of the public education advocacy group Our Schools USA. 'It was simply about using a child, while compromising their personal safety on a national scale, to score political points and distract from the serious issues families and communities in this country are actually concerned about,' Hirst said, 'affording groceries, the loss of health care, and access to quality teachers and resources in their public schools.' Nereyda Hernandez said she hoped AB's wins would serve as inspiration for other kids who feel 'unseen.' 'To every young person watching, especially those who feel unseen or unheard, let AB be your reminder that authenticity, courage, and resilience shine BRIGHTER than hate,' she said. 'It won't be easy, but definitely worth it.'
