Los Angeles – A woman is demanding the former player and coach of the Los Angeles Byron Scott Lakers, whom she accuses of sexually assaulting her during an event of the team in her high school in 1987, when he was 26 years old and she 15.
The demand, first filed in December 2022 and amended on May 1, accuses Scott of sexual assault and illegal detention. Scott, 64, fought for his name to be eliminated from judicial documents, but a judge denied his request to be identified only as “John Doe.”
The updated complaint appointed him publicly for the first time.
During a visit of the Lakers, the alleged victim attended summer classes at Campbell Hall High in Los Angeles when “she was sexually assaulted by Byron Scott in a concierge closet in the secondary school gymnasium,” according to the judicial document.
Scott was a Lakers player at that time.
The lawsuit was filed in 2022 under a California law that temporarily allowed ancient cases for minors. That law required that the accused remained anonymous until certain thresholds were crossed.
Linda Bauermeister, Scott’s lawyer, said her client does not deny that sexual contact occurred, but argues that she thought the girl was of legal age.
“Our client is devastated by this complaint,” Bauermeister said in a statement issued on Wednesday. “Our client believed that the plaintiff was over 18 years old and had no idea that she would affirm the opposite until 35 years later. He respects girls and women, and the accusations have taken him by surprise to him and his family.”
Scott was married to his first wife Anita at the time of the alleged aggression. They had three children and divorced in 2014.
-The demand says that the alleged aggression occurred in the summer of 1987, when the Lakers were at school to film a basketball instructional video in the gym and meet with students, parents and staff members.
A judge ruled last August that Scott could be identified, and last week the lawyers of the plaintiffs filed the amended complaint by appointing it.
The lawsuit also appoints Campbell Hall High, accusing officials of the School of Negligence for not protecting the girl. It requires a jury trial and more than $ 25,000 of compensation, including loss of income and lawyer fees, to be paid by Scott and the school.
A message was sent on Wednesday to school managers requesting comments on demand.
Scott, Escort, won NBA championships in 1985, 1987 and 1988 as part of the “Showtime” era of the Lakers. He led the team in annotations with a personal record of 21.7 points in the 1987-88 season.
He also played for the Indiana and Grizzlies Pacers, who then had their home in Vancouver. He returned to the Lakers for the 1996-97 season, his last as a player in the league. It was a valuable mentor for a team that had Shaquille O’Neal and the 18 -year -old rookie Kobe Bryant. Later, Scott was Bryant’s main coach with the Lakers.
He directed in the NBA from 1998 to 2016, including a period as coach in the Lakers. He is currently training in the Philippines.
Scott is currently married to Cece Gutierrez, who has appeared in the Teler Reketball Wives Telerreality program.
The AP generally does not identify the victims of alleged sexual aggression.
