A judge in Collin County district court on Wednesday dismissed a sexual assault lawsuit against Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
Judge Angela Tucker scheduled a hearing for Sept. 13 to determine if sanctions should be levied against a Fort Worth woman who claimed Prescott sexually assaulted her in a Dallas strip club parking lot in 2017.
“Despite [the accusers] and her legal team’s relentless efforts to extort money and damage Dak’s reputation, justice has consistently prevailed and will continue to do so,” Prescott’s attorney, Levi G. McCathern, said in a statement provided to The Dallas Morning News.
Tucker ruled the sexual assault was unfounded.
Prescott has said the sexual encounter was consensual.
In February, attorneys representing the woman sent an email to Prescott requesting $100 million in exchange for not disclosing or pursuing criminal charges related to a sexual assault according to a court filing. Prescott responded March 11 by filing and announcing a $100 million defamation lawsuit in Collin County against the woman. Prescott is additionally pursuing criminal extortion charges in Prosper, where he lives.
In response, the woman named Prescott as a defendant in a lawsuit alleging the sexual assault. The News does not typically name victims of sexual assault.
In May, Dallas police investigators said they had found “insufficient evidence” to support a criminal case.
The accuser dropped the lawsuit in Dallas County after police made their decision and her attorney, Yoel Zehaie, had plans to refile the lawsuit in Collin County.
Zehaie was unavailable for comment on Tucker’s ruling.
“I know the truth,” Prescott said in April when asked about the lawsuit. “I’m confident in what we filed, very confident in what we filed. I know some things have changed in their sense in where they filed. But it doesn’t have any weight on what we’re doing and how we’re going about our lawsuit.”
Prescott was unavailable for comment on Wednesday.
The criminal statute of limitations in Texas for sex crimes against adults varies, depending on the offense’s severity. State law set the criminal statute of limitations in Texas for sexual assault against adults at 10 years and civil statute of limitations at five years.
“The original lies by [the accuser], her team, and their recent failed attempt to sue him civilly are all just a continuation of their extortion plot against Dak,” McCathern said. “These ploys distract from the trauma of legitimate sexual assault survivors and undermine the progress that our society has made in supporting them. We are proud that Dak stands up against this injustice and thankful Judge Tucker agrees.”
Twitter/X: @calvinwatkins
This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.
