Dak suit: Extortion bid over sexual assault claim

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott filed a lawsuit Monday in which he accuses a woman and her attorneys of attempting to extort $100 million from him.

According to the suit filed in Texas’ Collin County, Prescott is seeking monetary relief in excess of $1 million, and he has committed to donating any such relief to the Joyful Heart Foundation or another “like-minded organization.”

In January, Prescott received a letter from Arlington, Texas, attorneys Bethel and Yoel Zehaie on behalf of a woman accusing Prescott of sexually assaulting her in February 2017, according to the suit. The letter stated, “Despite the tragic events, she is willing to forego pursuing criminal charges, along with disclosing this information to the public, in exchange for compensating her for the mental anguish she has suffered. [The woman’s] damages are valued at the sum of $100,000,000.00.”

ESPN is not naming the woman because she says she is a victim of sexual assault.

In a statement, Prescott’s attorney, Levi McCathern, called it a “completely fabricated story.”

“Mr. Prescott — a new father to a baby girl — has great empathy for survivors of sexual assault,” McCathern said in the statement. “He fervently believes that all perpetrators of such crimes should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. To be clear, Mr. Prescott has never engaged in any nonconsensual, sexual conduct with anyone. Lies hurt. Especially, malicious lies. We will not allow the defendant and her legal team to profit from this attempt to extort millions from Mr. Prescott.”

The 11-page lawsuit also alleges defamation and slander, defamation per se, business disparagement, tortious interference with current and/or prospective business relations, civil conspiracy and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

McCathern’s statement indicated Prescott has reported the allegations to law enforcement and will continue to cooperate fully in the investigation.

One of the woman’s attorneys, Bethel Zehaie, issued a statement to ESPN later on Monday alleging that Prescott had acknowledged having been with the woman the night of her alleged assault in 2017.

“We stand by the truth,” the statement read, in part. “Dak and his lawyers are trying to be bullies and play hardball and victim blame. We are not afraid of the truth.”

Zehaie’s statement continued: “Dak needs to be held accountable for his behavior. We are not afraid of him or his legal team.”

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