James Dolan Linked to Harvey Weinstein in Sexual Assault Lawsuit

It is unfortunate, but probably no surprise that James Dolan and Harvey Weinstein, who have both proven themselves to be fairly objectionable human beings, are linked together in a new sexual assault lawsuit based on events that allegedly happened about a decade ago.

Filed by plaintiff Kellye Croft and her attorneys in federal court on Tuesday, the lawsuit alleges that Dolan used his status to pressure Croft “to submit to sex with him” in 2013 while his band, JD & The Straight Shot, was on tour opening for the Eagles. Dolan then allegedly used his power to get Croft, who was 27 and working as a licensed massage therapist for the Eagles at the time, into a Beverly Hills hotel room with Weinstein in 2014.

After offering Croft opportunities to work on film sets while wearing a loosely tied bathrobe, Weinstein allegedly followed the younger woman back to her hotel room after she left, held her down and penetrated her against her will, per The New York Times. Informed of the alleged assault, Dolan did not seem surprised by his associate’s reported action and did not offer to help Croft report the assault to police, according to the victim.

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“I have suffered so profoundly because of what James Dolan and Harvey Weinstein did to me years ago, and it was not an easy decision to come forward and seek justice,” Croft said in a statement released by her attorney, Douglas Wigdor. “But for me, to truly address my trauma, I need to seek accountability. James Dolan manipulated me, brought me to California to abuse me, and then set me up for a vicious attack by Weinstein. My hope is that my lawsuit will force Dolan to acknowledge what he did to me and to take responsibility for the harm he has caused.”

Dolan, 68, and Weinstein, 71, have both denied the ugly allegations with the former’s lawyer saying there is “absolutely no merit to any of the allegations” against his client.

“Kellye Croft and James Dolan had a friendship,” Dolan attorney E. Danya Perry told Front Office Sports. “The references to Harvey Weinstein are simply meant to inflame and appear to be plagiarized from prior cases against Mr. Weinstein…Mr. Dolan always believed Ms. Croft to be a good person and is surprised she would agree to these claims. Bottom line, this is not a he said/she said matter, and there is compelling evidence to back up our position. We look forward to proving that in court.”

Croft is seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages from both Dolan and Weinstein, who is serving a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault in New York. Aside from this lawsuit, the two men are linked by Dolan being on the board of directors for Weinstein’s film production company for about a year between 2015 and 2016.