Yasiel Puig was sued by a woman last year who claims the former MLB star sexually assaulted her at a 2018 Los Angeles Lakers game, but Puig has vehemently denied the allegations. He has now filed a counterclaim against the accuser.
Puig is suing the woman who accused him of sexual assault, according to court documents obtained by Radar Online. Puig, who is currently playing in the Mexican League, has said publicly that he had consensual sex with the woman in a private bathroom at Staples Center. His counterclaim accuses the woman of defamation and slander.
The alleged victim said she did not know Puig, but Puig says the woman is the one who approached him.
“JANE ROE initiated communications with PUIG, both electronically and in person. She approached him, she messaged him on Instagram, sent him photos of herself, and sent him her phone number,” Puig’s attorney said in the countersuit.
Prior to filing the countersuit, Puig filed a formal response to the allegations in court. He is seeking for the claims to be dismissed.
Puig claims the woman approached him at the Lakers game after contacting him before.
“Although she now claims she was sexually assaulted, she did not make any such claims on the night in question, never made such claims to him in the months that followed, never contacted Staples Center security on that night or at any time thereafter, and never contacted the police on the night in question or any time thereafter. However, beginning in the summer of 2019, approximately eight months after the sexual encounter, she began demanding money from PUIG,” the counterclaim states.
Puig says the woman chose to make the sexual assault allegations against him after he refused to pay her. He is suing her for $10 million in damages.
The alleged victim made detailed allegations against Puig in her lawsuit, but the 30-year-old insists he can prove his innocence.
