Dallas Cowboys star Dak Prescott has filed a lawsuit against a woman who the NFL star claims falsely accused him of sexual assault.
Prescott, 30, filed the complaint, obtained by PEOPLE, in Collins County, Texas, on Monday. The filing includes a letter from attorneys for his alleged accuser, Bethel T. Zehaie and Yoel T. Zehaie, seeking $100 million in exchange for not pursuing criminal charges related to the alleged 2017 incident.
The letter from the alleged accuser was sent on January 16 to an email address at Prescott’s alma mater, Mississippi State, before being sent to the athlete’s lawyers. The woman alleged that Prescott sexually assaulted her in the back seat of his car during an encounter in Plano, Texas.
The letter claims that the woman “had to live with this pain and trauma for seven years” and that the alleged assault “impacted her relationship with her fiancé” as well as her daily existence, so significantly that she requires “future therapy and counseling” as the result.
An excerpt from the letter reads: “Despite the tragic events, she is willing to forgo criminal charges, as well as the disclosure of this information to the public, in exchange for compensation for the emotional pain she has suffered.”
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Dallas Cowboys #4 Dak Prescott warms up on the sideline.
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In addition, the letter listed an expiration time for the proposed compensation, concluding with, “You have until February 16, 2024 to respond to this demand letter.”
Prescott’s attorney, Levi G. McCathern, has denied that any sexual assault took place, and in a lawsuit filed Monday, he accuses the unnamed woman of trying to smear the NFL star, in a statement shared with PEOPLE.
Prescott’s lawsuit includes allegations of libel, slander, civil extortion, business disparagement, intentional infliction of emotional pain and civil conspiracy against the woman.
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Prescott is asking the woman for financial assistance of $1 million, which he has pledged to donate to the Joyful Heart Foundation, which helps victims of sexual assault and domestic violence.
“Mr Prescott – the new father of the girl – has great empathy for survivors of sexual assault,” Prescott’s lawyer said in a statement.. “He fervently believes that all perpetrators of such crimes should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
The statement continued: “To be clear, Mr. Prescott has never engaged in any non-consensual sexual conduct with anyone. Lies hurt. Especially malicious lies. We will not allow the defendant and her legal team to profit from this attempt to extort millions from Mr. Prescott .” McCathern’s statement also said Prescott will continue to cooperate fully with authorities.
PEOPLE has reached out to representatives for Prescott for comment.
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Source: HIS Education