Tiger Woods is being sued by his ex-girlfriend Erica Herman, but the case is not going to play out in a courtroom.
Herman filed a lawsuit in March seeking to be removed from a non-disclosure agreement she signed when she began dating Woods in 2017. Herman argued that the NDA should no longer be enforceable because of the federal Speak Out Act, which was put in place to protect victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment.
In a previous filing, Herman claimed she and Woods had an oral agreement that she would be able to live in Tiger’s mansion in Hobe Sound, Fla., for a total of 11 years. Herman says Woods broke up with her several months ago and then used “trickery” to get her to leave the home. She is seeking $30 million.
Woods countered that Herman could not take him to court because the NDA states that any issues between the two must be settled through arbitration. According to TMZ, Florida judge Elizabeth A. Metzger ruled in Tiger’s favor on Wednesday, ordering the case to be sorted out behind closed doors with an arbitrator.
Metzger said in her ruling that Herman’s sexual assault allegations were “vague and threadbare.” The judge wrote that Herman failed “provide factual specificity for any claim relating to sexual assault or sexual harassment.”
Tiger’s attorneys have said Herman voluntarily removed her belongings from the 15-time major champion’s home. Woods said there was no agreement in place for how long Herman should live with him.
Herman and Woods went public with their relationship in 2017. Herman seemed close with Tiger’s family for a while and was seen supporting him during big events.
