Tiger Woods Ex-girlfriend Accuses Him of Sexual Harassment: Revisiting the Golfer's Cheating Scandal

Tiger Woods’ ex-girlfriend has accused him of sexually harrassing her while she was working for him, claiming that the golfer compelled her to sign a non-disclosure agreement or be fired.

Erica Herman dated Woods for more than five years, according to a court filing reviewed by Sports Illustrated on Friday. She also worked at his South Florida restaurant, The Woods Jupiter, where she claims she was compelled to sign an NDA concerning the pair’s sexual relationship under pain of firing, which she claims amounted to sexual harassment, according to a report by the Guardian.

“Tiger Woods, the internationally renowned athlete and one of the most powerful figures in global sports, decided to pursue a sexual relationship with his employee, then – according to him – forced her to sign an NDA about it or else be fired from her job,” the Friday court document said, CNN reported. “And, when he became disgruntled with their sexual relationship, he tricked her into leaving her home, locked her out, took her cash, pets, and personal possessions, and tried to strong-arm her into signing a different NDA.”

The petition on Friday is part of a legal battle that erupted between Herman, 39, and Woods, 47, after they split up in October.

Herman then filed a lawsuit against the trust that Woods had established for his Florida property in 2017, claiming that she had an oral agreement to stay for another five years but that the golfer had forced her out of their shared residence.

The complaint is seeking $30 million in damages.

However, this is not the first time Woods has been embroiled in a controversy. The major golfer has made scandalous headlines over his decades-long career, the worst when he was found out to be cheating on his ex-wife with multiple women.

Cheating Scandal

Tiger Woods was at the peak of his career a decade ago when his wife discovered that he had cheated on her in 2009. When his cheating scandal broke, Elin Nordegren chased him out of their house with his own golf club and used it to smash in the windows of his car, according to a report by Mirror.

It was a dramatic fall from grace for the golfer, who had amassed a wealth of $1 billion (£706 million), including £78 million in endorsements, had recently won the Masters in Australia, and had been seen with then-President Barack Obama at the White House the previous year.

Woods’ personal life has been turbulent over the last decade, but it was once idyllic with his lovely wife, with whom he shares Sam, now 13, and Charlie, 12. However, in November 2009, it was revealed that Woods was having an affair with a New York City nightclub hostess named Rachel Uchitel.

‘Met Mistress 4 Months After Son Was Born’

During the Australian Masters, she was caught checking into the same hotel as Woods and had supposedly told friends she was in love with him, the report said.

According to The Daily Beast, Woods attempted to halt publication of the story by placing his wife on the phone with Uchitel. The two women allegedly spoke for 30 minutes, but Elin was not convinced by her claim. She went through Woods’ phone after he left it unattended and found the name of another woman, whom she phoned. Elin remained silent, and when the story broke the next day, Thanksgiving, she was believed to be appalled by the specifics of the incident.

Woods met Uchitel four months after his kid was born, according to reports.

She allegedly showed friends romantic messages they’d exchanged and told them Woods was divorcing his wife. Erin allegedly dug through his phone again and discovered more of Woods’ messages, including one that said, “You are the only one I’ve ever loved.” She is then reported to have woken up Woods, who ran into the toilet and began messaging Uchitel, telling him he needed to go.

Erin allegedly tossed his phone at him and followed him with a golf club as he tried to escape. Woods got into his car and crashed it; when it was discovered, the two rear windows were damaged.

He was knocked unconscious for six minutes, and Erin claimed she smashed the car windows to get him out. The officers attempted to question the couple, but they refused to participate, and a judge denied the cops’ request for a subpoena compelling them to speak.

Following that, several other women, including porn actresses, strippers, and escorts, came forward to admit to having slept with Woods throughout his marriage.

14 women had come forward in less than two weeks.

Woods’ career suffered greatly as a result of the incident, and he lost sponsorship partnerships with Nike, Gatorade, Gillette, and Accenture. He dropped out of the Chevron World Challenge in December and enrolled into rehab for sex addiction. “I was unfaithful,” Woods admitted during a press appearance the following February. I was involved in affairs. I had cheated. What I did was inexcusable.” The couple divorced in August of 2010.

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