Lawsuit accusing James Dolan of sex trafficking dismissed by judge

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit against New York Knicks and New York Rangers owner James Dolan filed by a woman alleging that Dolan pressured her into sex a decade ago.

In a ruling issued Tuesday, U.S. district judge Percy Anderson stated plaintiff Kellye Croft did not provide sufficient evidence to “allege a commercial sex act” as defined by the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act.

Croft, who filed the suit in January, alleged that while she was working as a massage therapist during a concert tour with the Eagles and Dolan’s band JD & The Straight Shot, Dolan made multiple unwanted advances toward her and “she felt obligated to submit to sex with him.”

Croft’s lawsuit also accused former movie producer and convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein, who she said referred to himself as a friend of Dolan’s, of assaulting her in a Los Angeles hotel. Croft said that she had traveled to L.A. under the assumption that she would continue working as a massage therapist on the Eagles’ concert tour, and her travel was paid for by Dolan and music manager Irving Azoff’s corporate entities.

According to Croft’s lawsuit, she told Dolan about her experience with Weinstein immediately after the alleged assault, and Dolan “readily admitted to Ms. Croft that he knew all about Weinstein’s history of assaulting and sexually abusing women, telling her that, ‘we all know’ that Weinstein ‘has problems.’”

Judge Anderson dismissed the sexual battery and sexual assault claims against Dolan and Weinstein without prejudice, meaning Croft could file those claims again.

In a statement provided to The Athletic, Croft’s attorneys Meredith Firetog and Kevin Mintzer said they plan on appealing the decision.

“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. 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 the decision. Our fight for Ms. Croft is just beginning.”

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(Photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)