A woman has filed a lawsuit accusing former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson of raping her sometime in the early 1990s after she met him at a nightclub in Albany, New York.
The legal action was filed under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which gives sexual assault victims a one-year window to file lawsuits over assaults that happened years or even decades ago.
The woman, who is suing for $5 million, said Tyson raped her in a limousine and that she has suffered from “physical, psychological and emotional injury” in the years since. The woman’s affidavit does not provide a date for the attack but says only that it happened in the early 1990s. It is unclear whether she pursued criminal action at the time of the alleged assault.
Neither Tyson nor any of his representatives has responded to the allegation or commented on the lawsuit. A message from The Associated Press seeking comment from Tyson was sent to an agency that has represented him.
The woman, who asked to remain anonymous to protect her privacy and prevent her from suffering further mental harm and harassment, said in her affidavit that she got in Tyson’s limousine and that the boxer immediately started touching her and trying to kiss her.
“I told him no several times and asked him to stop, but he continued to attack me,” the woman said. “He then pulled my pants off and violently raped me.”
The woman’s attorney, Darren Seilback, said in a separate filing that his office investigated her allegations and determined that they are “highly credible.” He said Tuesday he could not comment further on the case.
Tyson, 56, was convicted of raping beauty pageant contestant Desiree Washington on Feb. 10, 1992, and served three years in prison. His former wife, actor Robin Givens, also said in divorce papers that their late-1980s marriage was characterized by “unprovoked rages of violence and destruction.”
The Brooklyn-born Tyson was boxing’s undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990.