Williamson denies assault claims in court filings, describes relationship as consensual
The short version
- Zion Williamson denied all allegations of rape and assault in court filings obtained by TMZ
- A Jane Doe civil suit filed in May 2025 alleges rape, strangulation and threats during a relationship from about 2018 to June 2023
- Williamson's attorney calls the claims categorically false; he has filed an extortion report and plans a counterclaim
- The case is civil only; no criminal charges have been filed, and the plaintiff reportedly seeks $18 million to $50 million
The Pelicans forward answered a civil suit from a woman who says he raped and abused her during a years-long relationship.
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has formally answered a civil lawsuit brought by an unidentified woman who says he raped and abused her repeatedly over a roughly five-year relationship. In legal filings obtained by TMZ, Williamson rejected every accusation and characterized the relationship as a consensual "friends with benefits" arrangement that he described as friendly, casual and consensual.
The plaintiff, listed as Jane Doe, sued in May 2025. Her filing states the two began dating around 2018, while Williamson was a student at Duke, and stayed together until June 2023. She alleges he raped her twice in 2020 — once in Beverly Hills, where he was living during the pandemic — and strangled her to the point of unconsciousness on multiple occasions between 2020 and 2023.
The suit further claims Williamson had security personnel threaten to shoot her and kill her parents, including a 2022 incident in Louisiana in which she says he pointed a loaded gun at her head. Many of the alleged incidents, she says, occurred while Williamson was drunk or using cocaine. His attorney called the claims "categorically false and reckless" and accused the plaintiff of financial motives, telling TMZ the case will be exposed as false in court.
In his response, Williamson said the two never lived together and were not in frequent enough contact for the relationship to qualify as domestic, calling the domestic violence allegation "nonsensical." His filings argue that California statutes on sexual battery, domestic violence and stalking do not apply because the interactions allegedly occurred in North Carolina, Texas and Louisiana. He has reportedly filed a police report alleging extortion and plans to pursue a counterclaim seeking significant damages.
No criminal charges have been brought against Williamson; the case is a civil action in which the plaintiff seeks monetary damages, including punitive damages for emotional distress. ESPN reported her demand ranges from $18 million to $50 million.
