Tiger Woods’s former girlfriend has reportedly filed a request with a Florida court to reconsider a ruling that her public dispute with the 15-time Major winner is settled through private arbitration.
Last month, a Florida judge rejected Erica Herman’s claims that Woods had committed sexual harassment against her, describing the allegations as “vague and threadbare” before ordering that it be dealt with via private arbitration proceedings.
However, per Golfweek, her attorney Benjamin Hodas has now filed a request to reconsider the ruling.
The request reportedly claims there are “at least four issues that were overlooked or not considered.” The filing also states: “The US Supreme Court has consistently held that a party cannot be forced to arbitrate without a finding that she agreed to do so, which means that in this case - with no evidence in the record - arbitration should not be compelled, or, at a minimum, an evidentiary hearing should be held.”
Woods ended his relationship with Herman in October 2022, with reports that he had changed the locks on his Florida home. Herman claimed damages of $30m from a homestead trust set up by Woods in 2017 that has only himself and his two children as beneficiaries, and later accused him of sexual harassment in an attempt to break her NDA.
Herman’s lawyers argued that the nature of her eviction from Woods’ home was in violation of an “oral tenancy agreement” that permitted her to live at the property for several more years. The lawsuit also claimed that agents of the trust used “trickery” to get Herman out the house, convincing her to pack a bag for a Bahamas holiday before telling her she had been locked out and wouldn’t be let back in.
Herman had been attempting to void the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) she signed in 2017, when the pair started dating. The NDA required that Herman keep details of her relationship with Woods confidential and to settle any disputes via private arbitration.
Woods attempted to settle the matter privately under the conditions of the NDA before being accused of sexual harassment.
