Content warning: This story includes descriptions of alleged sexual assault.
Florida 4th Circuit Court judge Michael S. Sharrit dismissed a lawsuit filed by two women against former Jacksonville kicker Brandon McManus and the Jaguars on Tuesday, per ESPN’s Michael DiRocco, which accused the 33-year-old of sexual assault during a team flight to London last year.
The judge granted a motion filed by McManus’ attorney, Brett Gallaway, ruling that the women’s use of aliases does not meet “exceptional case” criteria for anonymity in bringing the case.
The women, currently identified as Jane Doe I and Jane Doe II, are allowed 10 days to re-file the lawsuit with proper name identification. They plan to do so, according to their attorney, Tony Buzbee.
“Most defendants in sexual assault cases file these types of motions thinking that the victims won’t proceed if they have to publicly reveal their names,” Buzbee told ESPN in a statement.
“We anticipated this ruling. To be clear, these women have no intention to run and hide, and will comply with the court’s order in a timely fashion. We look forward to continuing to pursue this important case.”
The lawsuit, filed in May, alleged McManus groped both women multiple times while appearing intoxicated during the Jaguars’ Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings charter flight to London on Sept. 28, 2023.
Doe I claims that McManus tried to kiss her while the plane experienced turbulence and she was seated.
Further, the lawsuit suggests McManus offered money to three other flight attendants to drink and dance inappropriately in what was described as a party-like atmosphere on the flight.
Doe I and Doe II are stated to have experienced “severe mental anguish, anxiety, psychological and emotional distress, embarrassment and humiliation” in the aftermath of McManus’ alleged conduct. Both were removed from the Jaguars’ core charter flight staff crew.
The Jaguars were accused of gross negligence for “failing to properly hire McManus, train him about inappropriate and sexual contact with flight staff, supervise him on the flight, adopt policies and procedures to protect flight staff from sexual misconduct by its employees, and enforcing a zero-tolerance policy regarding inappropriate behavior,” per DiRocco’s reporting.
The women sought over $1 million and demanded a jury trial in the original filing.
“We are very pleased with the court’s order in connection with Mr. McManus’ motion to dismiss these baseless allegations,” Gallaway said in a Tuesday statement, via DiRocco. “We look forward to him returning to the NFL playing field as soon as possible.”
Jacksonville did not re-sign McManus following his lone season with the club in 2023. He went 30-of-37 on field goal attempts and 35-of-35 on extra point attempts over 17 games with the Jaguars.
Washington signed McManus in Match but released him in June after the lawsuit was filed.
The Jaguars declined to issue a statement after the case was dismissed.
Pro Football Talk reported in May that the Jaguars could face discipline from the NFL for allegedly allowing alcohol onto the flight, citing a Nov. 2022 memo from the league reminding teams of rules against possession and consumption in team facilities or during team-sponsored travel.
