EXCLUSIVE Judge's stunning rebuke of LA Lakers legend Byron Scott over schoolgirl sex assault claims he tried to keep quiet
Shamed LA Lakers legend Byron Scott fought to have his name removed from court documents accusing him of an underage sex assault on a 'terrified' schoolgirl.
The 6' 4' former shooting guard and coach hoped to remain anonymous in a shocking civil action brought by Hayley Dylan, who was only 15 at the time of the alleged incident in 1987 and he was a married 26-year-old.
Scott, now 64, has admitted the had sexual contact with the girl but says he thought she was 18.
According to an August 2024 court filing obtained by Daily Mail, Byron wanted to be listed as John Doe and had insisted there wasn't evidence to 'corroborate' his accuser's claims.
He also argued that, as a 'public figure,' he should be allowed to remain anonymous.
But a skeptical judge tossed out his request and said Scott should be named.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge John Kralik denied the request by Scott and also said that exclusive Campbell Hall School in LA, where the assault allegedly occurred, should be named as well.
In his 16-page ruling, Kralik did not mince words and stated 'the Court cannot justify allowing the defendants to proceed anonymously in this action.'
He also noted that Scott 'opposes having his name revealed because, he says, there are no known facts to corroborate her allegations.'
The judge commented that the accused player had also argued 'that he is a public figure such that irreparable harm to his character and reputation may ensure such that it would be reasonable to maintain his confidentiality until after discovery.'
But Kralik opined that 'John Doe has not provided any admissible evidence or other factual support of his claims.
'He has not explained or shown that the case is without merit.
'John Doe has not explained how his status as a public figure affords him additional rights to maintain the confidentiality of his name or shield his identity.
'Celebrities must suffer the same embarrassment of accusation as regular people.
'Here, there is no overriding interest requiring that any party remain anonymous.
'Ms. Dylan has never sought such anonymity for herself - she is ready to subject herself to the embarrassment and stress of a public trial.
'Moreover, there is an important public interest in knowing the names of anyone accused of childhood sexual assault as well as the names of the accuser to that those claims can be fairly evaluated and handled.'
According to an April 29 amended 20-page court filing, Scott sexually assaulted Dylan, now 53, in a janitor's closet at Campbell Hall while he and other team members were shooting a basketball video.
Linda Bauermeister, his attorney, previously told Daily Mail: 'Our client is devastated by this complaint, a basketball event that took place in 1987.
'Our client believed the plaintiff to be over 18 and had no idea she would claim otherwise until 35 years later.
'He respects girls and women, and the claims have blindsided him and his family.'
In the lawsuit, Dylan accuses the NBA superstar of sexual battery, sexual assault, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Scott was married to his first wife, Anita Scott, 66, at the time.
Dylan, formerly Hayley Mendell, also names alma mater Campbell Hall as a defendant for not protecting her from Scott.
Before the incident, Dylan was a young girl who 'loved school' and had 'never kissed a boy.' Afterwards, her 'innocence was shattered, and her life forever altered,' according to the complaint.
The stunning lawsuit details how Scott allegedly forced himself on her in the school's gymnasium after leading her away from other adults.
Dylan was taking a math summer class at the school during the same time several Lakers players were filming an instructional basketball video in the gym and then also met with students, parents and faculty members.
During a break in filming, staff and parents were with the players until being asked to leave the gym as taping was about to resume.
But then, the complaint claims, Scott pointed to Dylan and told production staff: 'She can stay.'
Despite the teen being left alone with adults, 'Campbell Hall faculty and staff failed to take any steps or implement any safeguards to supervise or otherwise protect Plaintiff from anything that could, and eventually would, happen to her,' the complaint reads.
Instead, per the court record, school officials saw it as an opportunity for Hayley to acquire autographs for them from the sports star.
The school's then athletic director took a photograph of Hayley with Scott as they sat together on the bleachers - with the girl positioned between his knees on a lower step. The photo was then displayed in the athletic director's office, the complaint says.
Later, Scott asked Hayley to have lunch with him which, according to the suit, was part of a plan designed to 'gain Hayley's trust and to further isolate her.'
After having lunch together alone, Scott took Hayley weight room and other gym facilities which were located underneath the school's basketball court.
The youngster was 'proud and excited to be able to show off her school to someone she admired.'
But when they were alone again, Scott found an unmarked door at the end of a hallway which turned out to be a janitor's closet. He then 'forcefully grabbed Hayley by the arm and pulled her inside the room' leaving her 'frightened and confused,' per the suit.
Scott then 'began kissing her on the mouth as she repeatedly asked 'what are you doing?'
'Then, despite her forceful protests, Scott pushed Hayley to her knees, and, against her will, pulled off her top. Scott the pulled down his shorts, exposed his erect penis, and tried to force Hayley to perform oral sex on him.'
Dylan was 'terrified' and 'pleaded for Scott to stop and tried to turn her head away from his erect penis,' the complaint claims.
Eventually, the complaint says, Scott relented and told his victim to get up off the floor and get dressed then he unlocked the door so she could leave.
Scott's teammates, the Lakers assistant coach, trainer and film production staff witnessed him lead Hayley away and then return roughly 20 minutes later, according to the complaint.
At that point, school staff, students and parents had departed for the day and the remaining players and production crew were having a wrap party outside the gym where alcohol was being served, the suit says
It continues that Scott gave Dylan an alcoholic beverage which she threw away after one sip. She had never tasted alcohol previously.
By now, Dylan's 'mind was reeling' and she was 'scared' and 'disoriented.' With no school staff or parents on hand, she had no way to get to her home in Encino a few miles west.
According to Dylan's lawsuit, Scott took her to his car - a red, two-door Mercedes - where they sat and talked for five minutes, with the player focused on discouraging her from telling anyone about the assault.
He suggested the two could 'hang out' and gave her some Lakers merchandise from the trunk of the car, including a satin gym bag with his jersey number on it. Scott wore the number four for the Lakers.
Scott eventually asked a teammate, who lived close to Hayley, if he could take her home but the player, aware that it was inappropriate to drive alone with a young girl, responded: 'F**k, no. I'm not putting that girl in my car.' She then, used a payphone to call her mother who picked her up.
Two decades later, Hayley became aware of rumors when a fellow former Campbell Hall pupil asked: 'Are you the girl that hooked up with Byron Scott?'
'In the years that followed Scott's sexual assault and battery, Hayley suffered, and she continues to suffer, severe psychological and emotional distress, as well as feelings of embarrassment, loss of self-esteem, shame, and humiliation,' states the suit.
Her attorney Kerry Garvis Wright declined to comment to Daily Mail.
Dylan chose to come forward after California Governor Gavin Newsom enacted the California Child Victims Act, which became law on January 1, 2020, and extended the statute of limitations for decades-old child sex cases.
'While still a difficult decision to come forward now and relive the trauma Hayley is bravely doing so to shine a light and to seek some amount of justice and hopefully closure for the significant psychological trauma and emotional distress that she has experienced every day since the sexual assault,' per the suit.
Scott first played for the Lakers from 1983 - 1993, during the team's barnstorming 'Showtime' era, and had a second stint from 1996 to 1997.
He won three NBA championships with the team, in 1985, 1987 and 1988 and was head coach for them from 2014 - 2016.
He also played for the Indiana Pacers and the Vancouver Grizzlies. He was assistant coach of the Sacramento Kings from 1998 - 2000 and won NBA Coach of the Year in 2008.
The father of three has two sons and a daughter. He married second wife Cecilia 'CeCe' Gutierrez, 53, in 2020. She runs a medical spa and has appeared on the VH1 reality show Basketball Wives LA.
The couple share a $2.4 million house located 28 miles northwest of the Crypto.com Arena in downtown LA, the Lakers home court.
The 4,400 sq. ft property, built in 1996, has five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a swimming pool and basketball half-court.
Attorneys representing the school declined to comment to Daily Mail about the case.
According to the suit, 'Despite having an affirmative duty to take reasonable steps to protect Plaintiff from foreseeable risks of harm, Campbell Hall and its agents acted outrageously by failed to intercede, or otherwise taking any reasonable steps or to implement reasonable safeguards to avoid the sexual assault committed by Scott.'
Located in the Studio City area of LA, the school costs $54,000 per year for students in grades six through 12.
It bills itself as a 'gender-inclusive day school' and a 'community of inquiry committed to academic excellence and to the nurturing of decent, loving, and responsible human beings.'
A number Hollywood celebrities attended Campbell Hall, including sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning, the Olsen sisters - Ashley, Mary-Kate and Elizabeth - director Paul Thomas Anderson, Modern Family actress Ariel Winter and Denzel Washington's Tenet actor son John David Washington.
A jury trial is scheduled for February next year. Haley is seeking damages of over $25,000, including loss of earnings, and attorney fees to be paid by Scott and Campbell Hall.
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