Judge dismisses sexual assault, sex trafficking lawsuit against Knicks owner James Dolan

A U.S. District Court judge in California has dismissed a federal lawsuit against Knicks owner James Dolan, a suit that accused him of sexual assault and sex trafficking in 2013.

The lawsuit had been filed earlier this year, and the judge's ruling came down on Tuesday, with ESPN’s Baxter Holmes breaking the news.

The former plaintiff, Kellye Croft, alleged she was flown from New York to Los Angeles by Dolan, where she expected to return to a previous role as the masseuse for Eagles lead singer Glenn Frey (at the time Dolan's band was opening for the Eagles on tour). She charged in the suit that "Dolan quickly manipulated" her into a sexual relationship. She also alleges that the relationship with Dolan was abusive and he introduced her to movie producer Harvey Weinstein, who sexually assaulted her after she refused to do a nude massage of him. (NBC has a policy against naming the victim of an alleged sexual assault, however, Croft used her name in a statement released when the lawsuit was filed.)

The judge dismissed the sex trafficking part of the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning it cannot be re-filed. The rest of the charges could be re-filed if Croft desires.

Attorneys for both sides made statements on the case.

"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," Croft's attorneys, Kevin Mintzer and Meredith Firetog, wrote in an email to ESPN. "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 [Tuesday's] decision. Our fight for Ms. Croft is just beginning."

"We are very pleased with the dismissal of the lawsuit, which was a malicious attempt to assert horrific allegations by an attorney who subverts the legal system for personal gain -- this also happens to be the same attorney in the Charles Oakley case," a spokesperson for Dolan said in a statement.

The statement from Dolan's attorney references a lawsuit filed by former Knicks star Charles Oakley, who was ejected from Dolan-owned Madison Square Garden in 2017. That lawsuit continues to move forward with Dolan going to be deposed in the case.