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The Daily Mail unveiled an incident involving Byron Scott and a sexual assault from 1987 on Tuesday morning.
Scott, who is a three-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, earned the NBA Coach of the Year award in 2008 while coaching the New Orleans Hornets, and also played for Panathinaikos during the 1997-98 season, faces allegations of sexual battery, sexual assault, false imprisonment, and intentional infliction of emotional distress from Hayley Dylan. At the time of the incident, she was a 15-year-old student. Dylan has opted to disclose her identity publicly instead of remaining anonymous.
While Scott has acknowledged the sexual contact that occurred, he asserts he was unaware of the girl’s age at the time.
“Our client is heartbroken by this allegation related to a basketball event from 1987. He believed the plaintiff to be over 18 and was completely blindsided by her claims that surfaced 35 years later. He holds a deep respect for girls and women, and these accusations have come as a shock to him and his family,” stated his attorney, Linda Bauermeister, in comments to the Daily Mail.
The comprehensive lawsuit spans 20 pages and describes how Scott allegedly assaulted the girl and subsequently discouraged her from reporting the incident. Dylan is pursuing a jury trial and demands damages exceeding $25,000.
The alleged assault occurred in a locked janitor’s closet at a prestigious private school in Los Angeles, where Scott was attending an event with the Lakers, as stated in the report. At that time, he was married to his first wife.
Scott and his ex-wife, Anita, share three children together. After their divorce in 2014, he married Cece Gutierrez in 2020.
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