Lawsuit Accuses Zion of Rape, Years of Abuse

How the mighty have fallen. Former No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft and New Orleans Pelicans star forward Zion Williamson is being accused of sexual assault, according to a lawsuit from a woman who identifies herself as his former girlfriend.

According to the lawsuit, which was filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court and acquired by USA TODAY Sports, Williamson is being sued for assault, battery, sexual battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, domestic violence, stalking, burglary, false imprisonment and conversion, which is taking someone’s property without their consent.

The accuser, who filed the lawsuit under the name Jane Doe, said the incidents occurred at a home Williamson rented in Beverly Hills, California, during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. She is asking for a jury trial as well as exemplary and punitive damages.
The lawsuit says the plaintiff and Williamson dated for five years, from 2018 to 2023, beginning when he was a freshman at Duke University, and the abuse during the relationship was “sexual, physical, emotional, and financial in nature.”

“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 attorneys from the law firm Barrasso, Usdin, Kupperman, Freeman & Sarver said in a statement obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

“Mr. Williamson and the plaintiff never dated, but did maintain a consensual, casual relationship that began more than six years ago, when he was 18 years old. 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.

“Mr. Williamson reported the plaintiff’s extortion attempts to law enforcement. We understand that an arrest warrant was issued in connection with that report, and we are prepared to provide the court with documentation that supports these facts. Mr. Williamson also intends to file counterclaims and seek significant damages for this defamatory lawsuit.”

The lawsuit states Williamson assaulted the alleged victim twice, once in September of 2020 and again the following month, and that Williamson “continued to abuse, rape, assault and batter Plaintiff in California and other states, including Louisiana and Texas, until the relationship ended in 2023.”

According to the lawsuit, the two-time All-Star threatened the accuser by saying his security guard would shoot her “in the head while the security guard was present and carrying a loaded firearm multiple times in Louisiana between 2020 and 2023,” and “threatening to have his paid security guard kill Plaintiff’s parents, after informing Plaintiff that he knows their home address multiple times in Louisiana between 2020 and 2023.”

Williamson allegedly stole the plaintiff’s car keys, phone, and laptop without her permission, pointed a loaded firearm at the plaintiff’s head, and filmed sexual encounters between the two, threatening to release videos after she wanted to end the relationship, according to the lawsuit.

“When many of the wrongful acts were committed against Plaintiff, Defendant was either drunk or on cocaine,” according to the complaint. “As a direct and proximate result of Defendant’s conduct, Plaintiff has suffered severe emotional distress, anxiety, depression, humiliation, loss of sleep, and other physical and emotional injuries.”

The plaintiff’s lawyer told USA TODAY Sports: “We and our client do not want to litigate this case in the press. These are very serious allegations.”

Williamson has been very productive when he can get on the court, averaging 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists this NBA season, in only 30 games due to a variety of injuries, including a lower back bone contusion. Williamson just completed the second season of a five-year, $197 million and is set to make nearly $40 million during the 2025-26 season. The final three years of his contract are not guaranteed.

“While these allegations are false, we recognize the seriousness of the claims and welcome the opportunity to prove the truth in court,” Williamson’s attorneys said. “We are confident that the legal process will expose the truth and fully vindicate Mr. Williamson.”