"Jilted ex-girlfriend": Tiger Woods' lawyers respond to Erica Herman's complaint to nullify NDA
After Erica Herman filed a lawsuit seeking to nullify an NDA she signed while working for Tiger Woods, her former boyfriend, Woods filed a motion to compel arbitration on Monday, calling her a "jilted ex-girlfriend." Herman is also suing the golfer for $30 million, after she claims she was locked out of their shared home in Florida.
Woods' response comes after Herman's initial filing to nullify the NDA cited laws designed to protect victims of sexual assault and harassment. When Herman's lawyer was asked whether her case involves allegations of sexual abuse, her lawyer marked "yes," according to court documents obtained by CBS News.
But Woods' counsel is now accusing her of acting "disingenuously," and points out that she has neither publicly accused him of any sexual misconduct, nor did she specify any such acts in her initial filing.
"Ms. Herman is a not a victim of sexual assault or abuse sought to be protected by Congress when enacting the statute," according to the filing by Woods and his counsel.
"Rather, Ms. Herman is a jilted ex-girlfriend who wants to publicly litigate specious claims in court, rather than honor her commitment to arbitrate disputes in a confidential arbitration proceeding," reads the document, arguing that Herman should comply with the terms of the NDA.
The motion filed by Woods in Martin County Florida Circuit alleges that he ended their long-term relationship in October of last year, and that Herman "responded to the breakup by filing a $30 million lawsuit" against Woods' trust "as part of a concerted effort to evade her arbitration obligations."
The motion then alleges that once the suit was found "baseless," Herman filed a second action seeking to invalidate the NDA she had signed in 2017.
CBS News has reached out to legal representatives for Woods and Herman, and will update accordingly.
