Tiger Woods' ex-girlfriend Erica Herman accuses star of sexual harassment after he 'forced her to sign NDA or be fired'

6 May 2023, 20:29 | Updated: 6 May 2023, 21:35

The ex-girlfriend of 15-time major winner Tiger Woods has accused the golfing star of sexual harassment, claiming he forced her to sign a non-disclosure agreement or face being fired.

Erica Herman, 38, dated the star for almost six years after meeting at Woods' restaurant, The Woods Jupiter, in south Florida where she was an employee.

According to Ms Herman, the star forced her to sign the NDA as part of an ultimatum, with Woods having previously attempted to steer the case into private arbitration proceedings to avoid publicity.

The claims surfaced after documents were filed by her attorney, Benjamin Hobas, late on Friday in Martin County, Florida.

In the latest filing, Herman alleged that Woods pursued a sexual relationship with her while she was his employee at his South Florida restaurant and forced her into signing an NDA.

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According to the legal filing obtained by the Daily Mail: "On Mr. Woods's own portrayal of events, he imposed an NDA on her as a condition to keep her job when she began having a sexual relationship with him.

"A boss imposing different work conditions on his employee because of their sexual relationship is sexual harassment."

The document continued: "Tiger Woods, the internationally renowned athlete and one of the most powerful figures in global sports, decided to pursue a sexual relationship with his employee, then -- according to him -- forced her to sign an NDA about it or else be fired from her job."

Citing the Speak Out Act as reason to override the NDA agreement, Ms Herman is requesting the court void the NDA for reasons including claims she was subject to sexual abuse by the star.

Ms Herman first made the allegation relating to sexual abuse in March, but failed to cite what the alleged abuse entailed.

In a filing from Woods in a separate dispute over her claimed tenancy agreement, his attorneys noted that Herman had not made any claims of sexual assault or sexual harassment in that particular landlord-tenant action.

It follows the filing by Ms Herman in October against the Jupiter Island Irrevocable Homestead Trust, an organisation listed as the legal owner of his mansion in Hobe Sound where the couple lived.

Ms Herman is also suing the trust for $30million, alleging Woods tricked her into leaving the couple's mansion where they lived together for six years, shortly after their breakup in October.

She continues to claim she had an oral agreement with the trust, noting she could live in the property for 11 years.

In March, Woods filed a motion in the lawsuit over the tenancy dispute in the 19th Judicial Circuit Court in Martin County, Florida for an order to compel arbitration over the matter. 

But in Herman's filing on Friday, her attorney noted that Woods did not try to take their breakup dispute to arbitration when he kicked her out of the house in October.

Instead, he allegedly called an attorney "to unceremoniously eject Ms. Herman from the house through trickery and break up with her for him", according to the document.

"'The scheme involved convincing Ms. Herman to pack for a weekend excursion to the Bahamas. She and Mr. Woods often traveled on short notice for quick getaways, and she was told this would be another such trip. So, she took a minimum of items, expecting to return home in a few days."

It continued to allege that Woods then drove her to the airport but stopped her, telling her to speak to his lawyer. 

"Then, Mr. Woods's California lawyer, out of the blue, told her that she was not going anywhere, would never see Mr. Woods again, had been locked out of the house, and could not return," her filing stated. 

The lawyer "proceeded to insult Ms. Herman, (advised) her she had no legal rights, and (tried) to force her to agree to a (different) non-disclosure and arbitration agreement."

Her filing stated she refused to sign.

Woods' lawyers say that he broke things off on October 13, 2022.