Tiger Woods’ ongoing legal dispute with his ex-girlfriend, Erica Herman, has taken a new turn with Herman accusing the golfer of dating her when she was his employee and forcing her to sign an NDA to keep her job. In a court filing, Herman claimed that Woods also used a “trick” by an attorney to break up with her and kick her out of their home.
The allegations stem from an ongoing legal dispute between Woods and Herman, which is set to go to a hearing on Tuesday to determine whether Herman is bound by the NDA and prevented from suing Woods in open court. Woods’ lawyers argue that Herman is in violation of the NDA, which requires all disputes to be settled in confidential arbitration.
Herman’s lawyer, Benjamin Hodas, has argued that her claim against Woods is covered by the federal act that negates NDAs in relation to alleged victims of sexual assault and harassment. Hodas wrote in a new filing on Friday in circuit civil court in Martin County, Florida, that Woods had based Herman’s employment and housing status on their relationship, which he claims constitutes sexual harassment.
According to Herman’s court filing, she began dating Woods in 2017 when she was employed as the general manager of his flagship restaurant in Jupiter, Florida. Woods allegedly forced her to sign an NDA as a condition of her employment, which barred her from disclosing information about their relationship or Woods himself. However, the relationship continued, and Herman claimed that they moved in together in 2018. In the same year, Woods’s attorney allegedly tricked Erica Herman into signing a document that allowed Woods to end their relationship and kick her out of their home. Herman claims that she was left with no choice but to sign the document, as she feared losing her job and being sued by Woods.
Herman’s lawyer argued in the court filing that the NDA is unenforceable and void, and that Woods’s attempt to use it to prevent Herman from suing him in open court is a violation of her rights. The legal battle between Woods and Herman is ongoing, and Tuesday’s hearing is expected to shed more light on the matter.
“Tiger Woods, the internationally renowned athlete and one of the most powerful figures in global sports, decided to pursue a sexual relationship with his employee, then — according to him — forced her to sign an NDA about it or else be fired from her job,” the new filing reads. “And, when he became disgruntled with their sexual relationship, he tricked her into leaving her home, locked her out, took her cash, pets, and personal possessions, and tried to strong-arm her into signing a different NDA.”
