Tiger Woods Accused of Sexual Harassment by Ex-Girlfriend in Lawsuit

Court documents obtained by PEOPLE were filed Friday in Florida by an attorney for Erica Herman

Tiger Woods is facing an accusation of sexual harassment by his ex-girlfriend Erica Herman, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.

The documents, filed Friday in Florida, accuse Woods, 47, of pursuing a sexual relationship with Herman, 38, when she was working at his Florida restaurant, and then allegedly forcing her to sign a non-disclosure agreement in order to keep her job.

"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," Herman's attorney, Benjamin Hodas, wrote in the filing.

Related:Who Is Tiger Woods' Girlfriend? All About Erica Herman

"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."

"Now, he wants to deny her access to the courts and put this case into secret arbitration, based on a highly redacted document that he claims is a contract between them."

The documents also described a "scheme" in which Herman claims Woods tricked her into leaving his home by telling her to pack for a weekend trip to the Bahamas. Upon arrival at the airport, Woods' lawyer met her and allegedly informed her that she was locked out of the house and would not see Woods again.

"While still in the hangar, 'Ray Donovan (a fictional character) with a pen' proceeded to insult Ms. Herman, (advised) her she had no legal rights, and (tried) to force her to agree to a (different) non-disclosure and arbitration agreement," the filing reads.

Herman refused to sign this, instead choosing to file suit against the trust owning the house from which she was ejected.

In March 2023, it was publicly revealed that the pair had split when Herman filed a separate lawsuit against Woods, asking to be removed from the earlier non-disclosure agreement she signed in August 2017. Herman cited the Speak Out Act, which allows NDAs to be nullified in cases of sexual assault or harassment.

Herman, according to the filing, began working at Woods' restaurant The Woods Jupiter in 2014, initially to help develop and launch it and then assumed the position of director of operations once the venue opened.

The filing's background section states that the two developed a romantic relationship in 2016, with Herman moving into Woods' Jupiter, Florida mansion in 2017.

Related:Tiger Woods Is Now a Billionaire, Joins Exclusive Club with LeBron James, Michael Jordan: Forbes

Publicly, Woods and Herman first stepped out as a couple in September 2017, when she attended the President's Cup with Woods while wearing a "player spouse" credential — which is generally reserved for the spouses or significant others of the event's players and captains.

One month later, the couple made things Instagram official when Woods shared a photo of the two at Dodger Stadium for a World Series game. The photo posted on the golfer's Instagram showed Woods and Herman sporting matching Dodgers jerseys, though Woods did not name or tag his significant other in the post.

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The couple was rarely seen out in public at non-golf events, but they did attend the 2022 US Open together to support Serena Williams from the stands. Herman has no social media presence either and has only appeared on Woods' Instagram three times since October 2017.

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