New Orleans Pelicans Forward Zion Williamson Accused Of Rape In Civil Suit

Last Updated:May 31, 2025, 10:10 IST

Zion Williamson's accuser is seeking damages for assault, sexual battery, domestic violence, burglary, stalking, and false imprisonment.

Zion Williamson has denied the allegations. (AP Photo)

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has been accused of rape in a civil lawsuit filed in Los Angeles, according to court documents released on Friday.

The lawsuit, filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday by a woman identified as Jane Doe, alleges that Williamson raped her twice at a Beverly Hills apartment in 2020.

The lawsuit claims that these incidents were not isolated, stating, “Defendant continued to abuse, rape, assault, and batter Plaintiff in California and other states, including Louisiana and Texas, until the relationship ended in 2023."

The accuser is seeking damages for assault, sexual battery, domestic violence, burglary, stalking, and false imprisonment.

In response, Williamson’s attorneys described the allegations as “categorically false and reckless" in a statement emailed to AFP. They added that the NBA star’s legal team plans to seek “significant damages for this defamatory lawsuit."

The lawsuit states that the woman dated Williamson for five years, from 2018 to 2023. It describes a pattern of “abusive, controlling, and threatening behavior" by Williamson towards the woman throughout their relationship, citing sexual, physical, emotional, and financial abuse.

The lawsuit also alleges that Williamson committed “acts of criminal violence" against the woman, including choking, beating, and pointing a loaded gun at her head, and claims he was “either drunk or on cocaine" during the assaults.

Williamson’s attorneys have accused the woman of attempting to extort money from him, stating, “We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness and we unequivocally deny them," in a statement from the legal firm Barrasso-Usdin-Kupperman-Freeman & Sarver. They believe the lawsuit is “an attempt to exploit a professional athlete driven by a financial motive rather than any legitimate grievance."

The statement asserts that Williamson and the woman had a “consensual, casual relationship" beginning when he was 18, and that no concerns were raised during or immediately after their relationship. The attorneys claim that only after the relationship ended did the woman begin demanding millions of dollars, which prompted Williamson to report the extortion attempts to law enforcement.

“We are confident that the legal process will expose the truth and fully vindicate Mr. Williamson," the statement concludes.

With AFP Inputs

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News sports New Orleans Pelicans Forward Zion Williamson Accused Of Rape In Civil Suit