Zion Williamson accused of rape in bombshell lawsuit
Pelicans star Zion Williamson is being accused of rape by a woman claiming to be his ex-girlfriend.
In a bombshell lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court and obtained by The Post, the woman, identified as Jane Doe, alleges Williamson raped her twice in 2020.
In one instance, Doe claimed Williamson, 24, arrived to the Beverly Hills home he purportedly rented while training during COVID on Nov. 23, 2020 and demanded sex.
According to Doe, Williamson called her 'stuck up' and a 'bitch,' and when she refused to engage in sex, the 6-foot-6, 280-pound power forward 'pinned Plaintiff down on the bed with her hands behind her back and raped her.'
Williamson is alleged to have taken her phone and choked her for 'talking too much' afterward.
A second claim of rape occurred the following month, in which Doe spoke of potentially visiting a friend, leading Williamson to have allegedly 'picked her up, threw her down to the ground, and pinned her shoulders down so she could not move,' and then he reputedly 'violently raped Plaintiff in multiple ways.'
She says he then took her phone and computer so she could not 'contact anyone to secure a ride elsewhere, report the assault, or seek medical care.'
ESPN reported the accuser is seeking 'anywhere from $18 million to $50 million.'
In a statement provided to The Post, Williamson denied the allegations through his legal reps.
'We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and we unequivocally deny them,' his reps said. 'The allegations contained in the complaint are categorically false and reckless. This is the plaintiff's third set of attorneys. This appears to be an attempt to exploit a professional athlete driven by a financial motive rather than any legitimate grievance.'
Williamson acknowledged a consensual, casual relationship with Doe, and that she only began demanding 'millions of dollars' after their time together ended.
He intends to file a counterclaim against Doe and will seek 'significant damages for this defamatory lawsuit.'
'While these allegations are false, we recognize the seriousness of the claims and welcome the opportunity to prove the truth in court,' his reps said. 'We are confident that the legal process will expose the truth and fully vindicate Mr. Williamson.'
Doe's suit alleges a pattern of 'abusive, controlling, and threatening behavior toward Plaintiff' that also occurred in Louisiana and several other states.
Williamson is also accused of threatening to have his security guard shoot Doe 'in the head while the security guard was present and carrying a loaded firearm multiple times in Louisiana between 2020 and 2023,' and 'threatening to have his paid security guard kill Plaintiff's parents, after informing Plaintiff that he knows their home address multiple times in Louisiana between 2020 and 2023.'
'Our client is very adamant about this — it's not her desire or our desire to litigate this case in the press,' Doe's attorney, Sam Taylor with the Lanier Law Firm, told The Post on Friday. 'It's a very serious case, as reflected in the allegations. Our client looks forward to her day in court where she can go and explain to a jury what happened to her, the things she endured for this defendant and getting justice.'
Doe claims to have been in a 'dating relationship' with Williamson beginning around 2018 while he was a freshman at Duke, and the relationship continued through June 2023.
Williamson went on to be the first overall pick by New Orleans in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Despite an injury-marred start to his career, he made the All-Rookie team in 2020 and has twice been an All-Star in five seasons, all with the Pelicans.
Williamson has made headlines over his personal life on a numerous occasions.
In April, Williamson was dragged into a home invasion incident involving the mother of his child, Ahkeema Love, 31, who was arrested for attacking a romantic rival.
Love was charged with home invasion, aggravated battery and stalking after she broke into an unidentified woman's residence and 'grabbed the victim's hair and struck the victim with keys clenched in her fist,' Kenner police said in a probable cause affidavit, per NBC News.
Williamson was not named in the affidavit.
Love was served an order of protection as part of her custody release following a bond hearing, according to court records.
In 2023, adult film star Moriah Mills claimed she had an intimate relationship with the former No. 1 overall pick, and threatened to release alleged sex tapes of the two.
In March, Love revealed she is pregnant and celebrating 'another addition to our family' in an Instagram post.
She did not name the child's father.
Love and Williamson welcomed a daughter in 2023.
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