New Orleans Pelicans owner Gayle Benson spoke publicly for the first time Tuesday morning on the lawsuit filed last week involving star forward Zion Williamson.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles on behalf of a lady identified as Jane Doe, accuses Williamson of rape and assault in 2020.
Benson, who was in Baton Rouge on Tuesday for a press conference about the economic impact of Super Bowl LIX, was asked by WWL-TV about the lawsuit.
“You know, lawsuits are lawsuits," Benson said. "You really can’t…You don’t know. I mean people can sue you for anything. There’s no reason you can be innocent or not. It’s just something that people do, unfortunately.”
The lawsuit goes on to accuse Williamson of continuing to "abuse, rape, assault and batter" the woman in multiple other states, including Louisiana and Texas, until the relationship came to an end in 2023. The plaintiff accuses Williamson of strangling, kicking and striking her on multiple occasions, including instances where she lost consciousness while being strangled.
The law firm that represents Williamson, Barrasso Udin Kupperman Freeman & Sarver LLC, denied the allegations in a statement released Friday.
"We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and we unequivocally deny them," the statement said. "The allegations contained in the complaint are categorically false and reckless. This is the plaintiff's third set of attorneys. This appears to be an attempt to exploit a professional athlete driven by a financial motive rather than any legitimate grievance."
The law firm's statement said Williamson reported 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," the statement said.
Williamson plans to file a counter lawsuit and seek damages for what his attorneys describe is the unidentified woman's "defamatory lawsuit."