Mike Tyson.Photo: Michael Tullberg/Getty
Mike Tysonis facing rape allegations from a woman who claims she met the former professional boxer during a night out at a New York dance club in the early 1990s.
“I told him no several times and asked him to stop, but he continued to attack me. He then pulled my pants off and violently raped me,” her statement continues.
The court documents add that the woman is seeking $5 million in damages that include “physical, psychological, and emotional injury.”
The lawsuit was filedunder New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law last year. Under the regulation, “a one-year lookback window” is given to “survivors of sexual assault that occurred when they were over the age of 18 to sue their abusers regardless of when the abuse occurred.”
A representative for Tyson, 56, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Mike Tyson.ANDRZEJ LANGE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Tysonmade a name for himself in boxingafter holding the undisputed world heavyweight championship from 1987 to 1990. His first win at 20 made him the youngest player to retain the title.
While still recognized asone of the greatest in his sport, his personal life has been riddled with controversy, including accusations from his first wife,Robin Givens, that he was physically abusive. He candidly admitted that the claims were valid, tellingOprah Winfreyon her show in 2009, “I have socked her before, and she socked me before, as well. It was just that kind of relationship.”
Other points oflegal troublefor Tyson included a 1992 rape conviction for which he served three years in prison,biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield’s earduring a 1997 re-match, a prison stint in 1999 for assaulting two motorists, and again — briefly — in 2007 forpossession of cocaine and driving under the influence.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.
source: people.com
