The woman alleging Zion Williamson raped her is seeking “anywhere from $18 million to $50 million” in the lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles superior court, a source told ESPN.
Williamson denied the allegations to The Post on Friday via his legal representatives.
The woman, identified as Jane Doe in the lawsuit, claims to be the Pelicans star’s ex-girlfriend, having allegedly started dating when Williamson was a freshman at Duke in 2018 until 2023.
“During the course of their relationship, Defendant engaged in a continuing pattern of abusive, controlling and threatening behavior toward Plaintiff,” the lawsuit reads, as obtained by The Post.
“His wrongful conduct occurred in Louisiana and continued thereafter across several states. The abuse was sexual, physical, emotional and financial in nature.”
The lawsuit contains graphic details from a pair of 2020 encounters.
Doe alleges in the lawsuit that she arrived on Sept. 23, 2020 to the Beverly Hills home that Williamson rented at the time and he requested sex.
When Doe told the former No. 1 pick she was tired and wanted to go to sleep, he allegedly called her “stuck up” and a “b—h” and said she could not go to bed before sleeping with him.
After she said no, the 24-year-old Williamson allegedly “pinned Plaintiff down on the bed with her hands behind her back and raped her.”
When Doe attempted to grab her phone, Williamson allegedly threw it across the room before choking her and yelling at her for “talking too much.”
A second alleged rape is claimed to have occurred roughly one month later on Oct. 10, 2020.
Doe alleges to have told Williamson she wanted to visit a friend in San Diego and he said that she could not go while throwing items in the house.
Williamson is then alleged to have “picked her up, threw her down to the ground, and pinned her shoulders down so she could not move. Defendant violently raped Plaintiff in multiple ways.”
Doe alleges Williamson then took her cell phone and laptop to prevent her from contacting anyone.
The lawsuit alleges Williamson “continued to abuse, rape, assault and batter plaintiff” in multiple other states until the relationship ended in 2023.
Doe also claims Williamson threatened to kill her and her family, including an allegation of him threatening to pay his security guard to shoot her in the head and kill her parents.
“Our client is very adamant about this — it’s not her desire or our desire to litigate this case in the press,” Doe’s attorney, Sam Taylor with the Lanier Law Firm, said to The Post. “It’s a very serious case, as reflected in the allegations. Our client looks forward to her day in court where she can go and explain to a jury what happened to her, the things she endured for this defendant and getting justice.”
Williamson’s legal counsel said in a statement they plan to file a counterclaim against Doe and seek “significant damages for this defamatory lawsuit.
“We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and we unequivocally deny them. The allegations contained in the complaint are categorically false and reckless,” Williamson’s legal counsel told The Post. “This is the plaintiff’s third set of attorneys. This appears to be an attempt to exploit a professional athlete driven by a financial motive rather than any legitimate grievance.”
The representatives added that Williamson has reported “the plaintiff’s extortion attempts to law enforcement” and allege that an arrest warrant was issued “in connection with the report.”
His representatives claim the two had a “consensual, casual relationship” but never dated.
“That relationship ended years ago. At no point during or immediately after that relationship did the plaintiff raise any concerns. Only after the friendship ended did she begin demanding millions of dollars,” the statement provided to The Post on Friday read. “While these allegations are false, we recognize the seriousness of the claims and welcome the opportunity to prove the truth in court. We are confident that the legal process will expose the truth and fully vindicate Mr. Williamson.”
Williamson just completed his sixth season in the NBA — he did not play in 2021-22 — all with the Pelicans, and has struggled to live up to expectations due to injuries.
He has played at least 60 games only twice, with the ex-Duke star appearing in only 30 games this past season.
Williamson has dealt with off-the-court drama during his career.
Adult film star Moriah Mills claimed in 2023 that the two had a relationship and she threatened to release alleged sex tapes featuring the pair.
Ahkeema Love, the mother of Williamson’s daughter, was arrested in April and charged with home invasion, aggravated battery and stalking after breaking into a woman’s home and hitting her with keys, Kenner (La.) police said, as reported by NBC News.
Williamson was not named in the probable cause affidavit from the incident.