Judge dismisses an assault lawsuit against Knicks owner James Dolan and Harvey Weinstein

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A U.S. district judge has dismissed a federal lawsuit by a woman who alleged that New York Knicks owner James Dolan sexually assaulted her a decade ago and then set her up to be molested by jailed movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.

U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson on Tuesday dismissed the lawsuit filed by Kellye Croft in Los Angeles in January. Anderson said that Croft had failed to plausibly allege a commercial sex act in which she was paid for sex under the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act.

The judge also declined to hear her claims based on state — and not federal — law against Dolan of sexual battery and aiding and abetting sexual assault and against Weinstein of sexual assault and attempted rape.

Croft's lawyers posted on X that they disagreed with the decision, saying it “incorrectly interprets the federal sex trafficking law and undermines critically important protections for sex trafficking survivors,” according to attorneys Meredith Firetog and Kevin Mintzer of Wigdor LLP.

Dolan’s spokesperson, Mikyl Cordova, said in an email Wednesday that the lawsuit was “a malicious attempt to assert horrific allegations" by what it called an unscrupulous law firm.

Weinstein's attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment but at the time of the January filing also dismissed Croft’s assertions.

According to the lawsuit, Croft was a licensed massage therapist in 2013 working on a tour for The Eagles in which Dolan’s band, JD & The Straight Shot, opened for the rock band. Dolan allegedly used his influence on the tour to repeatedly manipulate and pressure Croft “to submit to sex with him,” the lawsuit stated. It claimed Dolan orchestrated a meeting between Croft and Weinstein, a friend of his, in a hotel elevator in early 2014. She alleged in her lawsuit that Weinstein sexually assaulted her in a hotel room.

The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they were sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly or consent to being identified, as Croft has done.

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This story has been updated to correct that comment on behalf of Dolan came from his spokesperson, not from law firm representing him.

FILE - New York Knicks owner James Dolan, center, watches the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls, April 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/John Munson, File)

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The anti-doping program for the Paris Olympics caught five athletes after earlier finding 40 rule violations among competitors who had been expected to take part in the Games, the agency that ran the operation said Thursday.

Summing up its Olympic program, the International Testing Agency said 6,130 samples were collected during the Games period in July-August from 4,150 different athletes. The samples were of urine, blood and dried blood spot.

Taking samples from almost 39% of the athletes was “a 4% increase compared to Tokyo 2020 and 10% higher than Rio 2016,” the ITA said. The most tested nations were those with the biggest teams in Paris: the United States, France, China, Australia and Britain.

The agency said nearly 90% of athletes who took part were tested at least once before the Paris Summer Games opened.

“The ITA can also report over 40 anti-doping rule violations stemming from the testing activities implemented on behalf of its partners ahead of the Games pertaining to athletes who were likely due to participate,” it said.

The Games-time samples, plus selected ones from the pre-Games testing program, will now be stored for 10 years. They can be opened and re-analyzed when better tests are developed and new intelligence emerges.

The five positive tests in Paris came from two cases in judo and one each in track and field, aquatics and boxing. The substances involved were anabolic steroids and a diuretic.

The athletes, from Afghanistan, Bolivia, Congo, Iraq and Nigeria, were removed ahead of their event or had their results disqualified. Disciplinary cases are now being prosecuted, typically by their sport’s governing body.

The ITA was created by the International Olympic Committee in 2016 to bring more independence to global anti-doping and manage testing programs on behalf of sports bodies.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Fans wave French flags during a parade of French athletes who participated in the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024 in Paris. (Ed Jones/Pool Photo via AP)