The bizarre breakup between Tiger Woods and his ex-girlfriend of six years, Erica Herman, just got a lot more bizarre.
In court documents obtained by the New York Post, Herman accused Woods’ associates of convincing her to pack a suitcase to head out for a “short vacation.” Once she left, Herman alleges, she was locked out and told not to come back.
On Wednesday, the sports world learned that Herman sought to nullify the NDA Woods made her sign at the beginning of their relationship by citing the Speak Out Act. That law invalidates NDAs if there is a claim of sexual assault or harassment.
Court documents say Herman accuses employees of Woods of convincing her to “pack a suitcase for a short vacation and when she arrived at the airport, they told her she had been locked out of her residence, in violation of the oral tenancy agreement and in violation of Florida law.”
Erica Herman and Tiger Woods look on before the Women’s Singles Second Round match between Anett Kontaveit of Estonia and Serena Williams of the United States on Day Three of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 31, 2022, in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Woods paid for a hotel room and some associated living costs, but that only continued for a time, according to the docs. After that, Herman alleges that Woods “frightened her away” from returning to his home.
Herman also claims that Woods’ employees gathered her personal belongings at the property along with $40,000 in cash. She also says that Woods made “scurrilous and defamatory allegations about how she obtained the money.”
The core of Herman’s case is an “oral tenancy agreement” she says she had with the Woods that allowed her to remain on the property for eleven years. However, after the couple split up six years into the deal and she was “tricked” into leaving, as she claims, that left five years remaining on the oral agreement, and she is seeking $30 million from the golf legend in compensation.
Tiger Woods and Erica Herman ride in a cart before the Pro-Am ahead of the PNC Championship at the Ritz Carlton Golf Club Grande Lakes on December 17, 2021, in Orlando, Florida. (Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
Woods’ attorney countered that there was no way the couple’s oral tenancy agreement could have spanned eleven years since such agreements can only last for less than a year under Florida law.
The golf legend’s lawyers also claim that Herman’s suit itself violates is illegal. According to the NDA, the lawyers argue all legal proceedings are required to go through private arbitration, not a public court setting.
“By suing the Trust rather than Mr. Woods, Ms. Herman seeks to evade her obligation to adjudicate her claims in a confidential arbitration and, instead, seeks to gain leverage by litigating her disputes with Mr. Woods in a public forum,” Woods’ attorneys said in October.
Though, Herman’s attorneys argued against the arbitration route and asked the judge in January to determine whether private arbitration was still the proper venue for the case, considering there was an allegation of sexual abuse. Herman checked a “yes” box in her initial filing that asked if her suit involved a case of sexual abuse. However, as of this writing, Herman has yet to make a specific claim of sexual abuse.
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