James Dolan, Harvey Weinstein deny accusations of sexual assault - ESPN

A Tennessee woman filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday accusing James Dolan, chairman of Madison Square Garden and governor of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, of pressuring her into unwanted sex nearly a decade ago while also facilitating an encounter with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, who she also claimed sexually assaulted her.

In the lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California and obtained by ESPN, Kellye Croft says she was 27 and working as a licensed massage therapist when she met Dolan in fall 2013 while on a tour with a rock band, the Eagles. (Dolan's band, JD & The Straight Shot, opened for the Eagles during the tour.)

During one encounter, the lawsuit alleges, Dolan became «extremely assertive, and pressured Ms. Croft into unwanted sexual intercourse with him.» In subsequent encounters, the lawsuit alleges, Croft was summoned to Dolan's room, where he made «unwelcome advances toward Ms. Croft, and she felt obligated to submit to sex with him.»

Croft alleged that in January 2014, Dolan helped arrange for her to travel to Los Angeles to join the tour. There, Croft alleged, she met Weinstein at The Beverly Hills Hotel where Dolan was paying for her to stay. Weinstein, she alleged, introduced himself as one of Dolan's «best friends,» then asked whether she was the massage therapist that Dolan had mentioned and previously praised.

She accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting her at the hotel, after which she informed Dolan, who allegedly responded by telling her that Weinstein was «a troubled person» with «serious issues.» The incident predated Weinstein being convicted for years of sexual abuse following investigative reports in 2017 by both The New