A Florida judge has ruled that Tiger Woods’ unlawful-eviction dispute with his former girlfriend, Erica Herman, must be decided in arbitration, which is required by the nondisclosure agreement both parties signed.
In the 11-page ruling that was issued late Wednesday, Judge Elizabeth Metzger held that Herman’s claims of authenticity of the NDA were not enough to force an evidentiary hearing. Herman sued Woods and the trust that owns his South Florida mansion for $30 million, the amount of rent she said she would have to pay for a similar piece of beachfront property for six years.
Herman, who moved in with Woods in 2016, claimed that Woods had promised to allow her to live in the mansion for 11 years but the two ended their romantic relationship last October.
In a May 9 hearing before Metzger, Herman’s lawyers questioned the authenticity of the NDA. Her attorney, Benjamin Hodas, said during the hearing that his client did “not recall signing” an NDA, but he acknowledged that Herman did sign an NDA.
Herman’s attorneys also claimed the NDA and its forced arbitration clause was unenforceable under a federal statute that bars arbitration when there are allegations of sexual abuse or sexual harassment.
Metzger dismissed both claims. “[Herman] does not deny that the signature on the NDA is hers or that she agreed to arbitrate,” Metzger ruled. The ruling continued that Herman has “made vague and threadbare references to behaviors or actions she contends constitute sexual harassment” and that her claims were “implausibly pled.”
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