New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has been accused of rape as well as abuse in a lawsuit filed by a woman claiming to be his ex-girlfriend.
The suit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, the plantiff, listed as Jane Doe said she and Williamson began dating in 2018, when he was in his lone year at Duke, and remained an item until 2023.
‘We and our client do not want to litigate this case in the press,’ the statement from the Lanier Law Firm’s Sam Taylor to the Daily Mail began. ‘However, I will say this is a very serious case as reflected in the Complaint filed in Los Angeles County. Our client looks forward to her day in court before a jury of her peers to obtain justice in this matter.’
In the suit, two alleged instances of rape are detailed, the first occurred in September 2020. In that incident, Ms. Doe stated she was taken to Williamson’s Beverly Hills home. The NBA All-Star was not present initially but upon his return that evening Williamson demanded to have intercourse with the alleged victim. Doe refused and Williamson allegedly held her down, pinned her, and forcefully had coitus with her. The second instance took place in October of the same year. According to Ms. Doe, Williamson’s ire was allegedly drawn when she indicated she wanted to visit a friend in San Diego. He allegedly proceeded to chuck household items at Doe before throwing her to the floor and raping her. He then allegedly confiscated her phone and laptop in an attempt to thwart an attempt to alert authorities.
In addition to the rape allegations, the suit also outlines a pattern of abusive behaviors, including threatening to have his security guard put a bullet in Doe’s head, sicing his security guard on Doe’s parents, keeping Doe under constant surveillance, and searching her items at his whim.
Williamson was the no.1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and sports career averages of 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per contest. When he plays, Williamson displays All-Star talent, as shown by his appearances in the game in 2021 and 2023. However, Zion has been plagued with availability due to injuries. Williamson has appeared in just 214 of a possible 410 games, including 4 seasons of playing in 30 games or less.
