According to court records received on July 19, a legal dispute between Tiger Woods’ ex-girlfriend, Erica Hermann, and his trust has taken a surprise turn.
Hermann has filed a petition to dismiss the $30 million case she had brought against the Jupiter Island Irrevocable Homestead Trust, which is held by the professional golfer.
“Erica Hermann filed the complaint, which sought damages against Woods’ trust, around nine months ago, following her divorce from the golfer in October 2022.
Hermann claimed in court that she was duped into abandoning the Treasure Coast, Florida house she shared with Woods. According to the petition, she was advised to pack for a trip, but when she arrived at the airport, she was told that she had been locked out of the house.
Despite her numerous attempts to re-enter and reclaim her personal stuff, the trust and its representatives reportedly refused to let her in.
In their extensive and painstakingly planned response to the complaint, Woods’ intelligent and highly trained legal experts immediately reacted to Hermann’s accusations with an eloquent and well-reasoned counterargument.
They elaborated on the position that Hermann’s presence in Woods’ life was deemed undesired following the dissolution of their relationship, and hence any argument to the contrary lacked foundation.
Furthermore, Hermann took the uncommon step of seeking to invalidate a legally binding Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) that she freely agreed to in 2017 when her personal and professional paths intersected with Woods’.
In an intriguing twist, the court filings disclose that Hermann sought the cancellation of this NDA under the framework of the Speak Out Act, a legislative statute specifically created to protect victims of sexual assault or harassment.
Surprisingly, there are no specific claims levelled at Woods in conjunction with the invalidated NDA in the court filings.
This perplexing omission adds to the case’s fascination by leaving space for interpretation of the specific reasons for Hermann’s use of the Speak Out Act to terminate the agreement.
A Florida judge ruled in May that Hermann must follow the conditions of the NDA and handle her legal problems with the athlete through private arbitration.
Despite this verdict, Hermann’s legal team filed an appeal notice in early June, according to local news channel WFLX.
This revelation represents a significant shift in the legal procedures, as Hermann attempts to drop her multi-million dollar lawsuit while also appealing the NDA-related case.
All eyes will be on the courts as the scenario unfolds to watch how these things move in the following days.
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