Judge dismisses sexual assault, trafficking lawsuit against Knicks chairman James Dolan

A judge dismissed a federal lawsuit filed against New York Knicks and Rangers owner James Dolan on Tuesday night that accused him of both pressuring a woman into unwanted sex and coordinating an encounter with former producer Harvey Weinstein, according to ESPN's Baxter Holmes.

Kellye Croft initially filed her lawsuit in Los Angeles in January. She alleged that Dolan repeatedly pressured her into sex in 2013 and 2014 and that Weinstein — who has been convicted in various other sexual crimes in recent years and was a longtime friend of Dolan's — sexually assaulted her in a Beverly Hills hotel. Croft also accused both men of sexual assault and unwanted touching, and accused Dolan of sex trafficking.

A spokesperson for Dolan said in a statement to ESPN that they were “very pleased with the dismissal of the lawsuit,” which they described as a “malicious attempt to assert horrific allegations by an attorney who subverts the legal system for personal gain.”

Croft said in her lawsuit that she was hired as a massage therapist for the Eagles for their tour in 2013. Dolan’s band, JD & the Straight Shot, was an opening act on that tour. She said that Dolan repeatedly pressured her into having sex multiple times throughout the tour, and that she “felt obligated to submit to sex with him.”

When the band had a residence at The Forum in Inglewood, California, in January 2014, Croft rejoined the tour to continue working. She said that she met Weinstein while waiting for an elevator at a Beverly Hills hotel that month, which she alleged Dolan set up, and that Weinstein later sexually assaulted her that night. Croft said she told Dolan about the assault, and that he was “not at all surprised” as Weinstein “was ‘a troubled person’ that had a lot of ‘serious issues.’”

Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence after he was convicted of a number of different sex crimes. The allegations levied against him and eventual convictions helped lead to the larger #MeToo movement in the United States.

Croft’s claim of sex trafficking was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it can’t be filed again. Her sexual battery, sexual assault and aiding and abetting of sexual assault claims were dismissed without prejudice, meaning they can be filed again. Croft’s attorneys told ESPN that they plan to appeal.

"We respectfully disagree with the District Court's decision, which we believe incorrectly interprets the federal sex trafficking law and undermines critically important protections for sex trafficking survivors," her attorneys said. "We will be appealing this decision and are confident that the Court of Appeals will correct this injustice. We will also continue to pursue Ms. Croft's sexual battery claims against James Dolan and Harvey Weinstein, which remain unaffected by [Tuesday's] decision. Our fight for Ms. Croft is just beginning."

Dolan has long denied knowing about Weinstein’s sexual misconduct despite the fact that they were friends and acquaintances for years before the first allegations surfaced. Donal once served as a board member for one of Weinstein’s production companies. Dolan even released a song about it with his band in 2018. A lawsuit filed in 2017, that was later settled, alleged that a number of men on the board of Weinstein’s company knew about his conduct and were complicit in covering it up.

Dolan has led the Madison Square Garden Sports Company, which controls both the Knicks and the Rangers, for more than two decades. Dolan also runs Madison Square Garden, the Sphere in Las Vegas and more through his companies. The Knicks were last valued at $6.6 billion by Forbes, which makes them the second-most valuable franchise in the league.