The judge declines to dismiss the lawsuit against Big Ben.
On Thursday, a judge in Nevada rejected a motion to dismiss a lawsuit accusing Ben Roethlisberger, the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, of sexually assaulting a woman at a hotel-casino in Lake Tahoe. Washoe District Court Judge Brent Adams also turned down a request from Roethlisberger’s attorney to penalize the woman’s lawyer for pursuing the case without adequate evidence. In a brief order, he judge stated that the woman’s attorney, Cal Dunlap, had met the minimum standards required to avoid sanctions in representintg the former VIP host who accused Roethlisberger of sexual assault and Harrah’s of covering it up.
Dunlap, responding to the judge’s decision, commented that he wasn’t surprised and declined further elaboration. Roethlisberger’s lead attorney, David Cornwell, issued a statement interpreting the judge’s ruling as giving the woman the “benefit of the doubt” at a premature stage in the legal proceedings, emphasizing the need for a full examination of her statements and conduct.
The lawsuit seeks a minimum of $440,000 in damages from Roethlisberger and at least $50,000 from Harrah’s officials regarding the alleged incident in July 2008. Roethlisberger, participating in a celebrity golf tournament, denies the allegations, maintaining that the woman’s actions were voluntary. His legal team argues that her failure to file a formal criminal complaint is evidence of a fabricated story aimed at securing a significant payout from the NFL star.
Roethlisberger’s lawyers filed a counterclaim seeking a minimum of $10,000 in damages, accusing the woman’s attorneys of negligence in ignoring credible evidence that casts doubt on their client’s story. Another attorney for Roethlisberger, Franklin Brockway Gowdy, characterized the complaint as a “house of lies” and asserted that Roethlisberger is armed with the truth.
In her lawsuit, the woman alleged that Roethlisberger deceived her into his room under the false pretext of needing his television repaired. Fearing that Harrah’s would support Roethlisberger and she would lose her job, she claimed she did not file a criminal complaint. According to her account, as she attempted to leave, the quarterback, standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 240 pounds, blocked her exit, forcibly kissed her, and assaulted her despite her objections. She expressed fear of physical harm if she resisted but maintained that she protested multiple times without success.
