Tiger Woods’ lawyers deny his ex-girlfriend’s claims that he forced her to sign or agree to any rental agreement.
Erica Herman filed a lawsuit in Florida on Monday over a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that she alleges she was forced to sign, citing the Speak Out Act, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
Woods, a 15-time Grand Slam champion, asked to intervene as a defendant in the case, and his lawyers wrote that Herman sued the trust to prevent an agreement between the two to arbitrate all disputes.
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Tiger Woods watches his tee shot during a practice round on August 26, 2020 for the BMW Championship golf tournament at Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Illinois. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
“During their relationship, Mr. Woods invited Ms. Herman to live with him as his guest at the Residence,” the motion says. «Mr. Woods never negotiated an oral lease with Ms. Herman. Nor was there a written lease between Mr. Woods or the Trust, on the one hand, and Ms. Herman, on the other. Mr. Woods never transferred to Ms. Herman any ownership interest or rights of possession in the Residence.»
Herman is suing the Jupiter Island Irrevocable Trust, the trust that owns Woods’ home, for at least $30 million after he asked her to move off the property.
Tiger Woods of the United States and his girlfriend Erica Herman celebrate after winning the Presidents Cup 16-14 on December 15, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Warren Little/fake images)
Herman says that the agreement allowed him to live in the house without expenses in exchange for «valuable services» that were «of an extraordinary nature.» However, Herman alleges that she was tricked into leaving her home and locked it up when she returned.
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Lawyers for the trust filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, first claiming that the trust was not who she was really looking for and that she did not name the trustee in the lawsuit. The trust’s attorneys also said it was Herman who removed his belongings from the home and that «oral lease agreements» are only good for less than a year in Florida.
The alleged NDA was signed in 2017.
Tiger Woods and Erica Herman cheer on Rafael Nadal at the 2019 US Open in New York City. (Gotham/GC Images)
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But Herman claims that the agreement should be unenforceable under the Speak Out Act, which “prohibits the enforcement of a nondisclosure clause or nondisparagement clause agreed to before a dispute arises involving sexual assault or sexual harassment in violation of the federal, tribal or state law. «
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.