Golf News

Tiger Woods wins court ruling against Erica Herman, his ex-girlfriend

A state judge in Florida has ruled in favor of Tiger Woods in his public dispute against his ex-girlfriend, ordering the matter to be resolved in private arbitration after it spilled into public court with allegations of sexual harassment and a messy breakup between the two in October.

Judge Elizabeth Metzger issued the ruling late Wednesday, handing the famed golfer a victory in his quest to keep his private conflict with Erica Herman out of the public eye.

“The parties are ordered to submit this action to arbitration,” Metzger ruled. “Pursuant to applicable law, this case is stayed pending completion of arbitration. The parties shall advise the Court once arbitration has been completed. The Clerk of the Court shall administratively close this case.”

What was this about?

The issue at hand was about whether this dispute between these two former lovers should be resolved privately in arbitration under terms of the nondisclosure agreement (NDA) that Woods’ attorney said they signed in 2017. But the larger dispute started with their breakup in October, when Herman said Woods arranged to kick her out of his house in violation of an oral tenancy agreement she said she had to keep living there for several more years.

In response to her ouster from the home, Herman sued the trust that Woods established for that house, claiming more than $30 million in damages. This led Woods to try to steer the dispute into private arbitration pursuant to the terms of the NDA.

The dispute got even uglier after that. In March, Herman filed this lawsuit against Woods to challenge that NDA and have the court declare it invalid. Her attorney even cited new federal laws in which NDAs and forced arbitration agreements don’t apply in disputes involving sexual harassment. Established in 2022, such laws were designed to eliminate the use of NDAs and private arbitration as a way for sexual predators to avoid public accountability.

In a court filing dated May 5, her attorney also said Herman didn’t even recall signing the NDA in question. The judge didn’t buy it, however.

“Importantly, Herman has not ‘denied’ that her signature is on the NDA,” the judge ruled. “Herman additionally has not ‘denied’ that the clear terms of the NDA require the resolution of her disputes, claims or controversies with Woods via binding, confidential arbitration.”

What was her sexual harassment case?

Herman didn’t get into any detail about it until…

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