Sexual assault lawsuit against Kings coach Luke Walton has been dropped
A civil lawsuit accusing Sacramento Kings coach Luke Walton of sexual assault has been dropped. Kelli Tennant, the woman who accused Walton of sexual assault, filed a request for dismissal Tuesday, according to ESPN.
The dismissal was submitted with prejudice, meaning Tennant cannot file another lawsuit against Walton regarding this issue.
Walton released a statement Thursday, saying he is “100 percent focused on coaching the Kings and will have no further comment.”
In the lawsuit, Tennant accused Walton of sexual assault stemming from an encounter in 2014, when Walton was an assistant with the Golden State Warriors. Tennant said Walton got on top of her and kissed her in a hotel room. When Tennant told Walton to stop, Tennant said Walton laughed. Eventually, Walton stopped, and Tennant left the hotel room, according to the suit.
Walton, 39, has denied those allegations. He said he had a “limited memory” of that meeting, but described it as “very short, entirely pleasant and consensual.”
Tennant said she did not originally report the sexual assault because she was afraid she would lose her job. Tennant’s lawyer said Tennant was not seeking money or jail time for Walton with the lawsuit. She filed the lawsuit because she was no longer comfortable staying quiet about the encounter.
The Kings and the NBA launched an investigation into the allegations. That investigation has been closed, and won’t re-open unless new information comes to light. Walton was not punished by the Kings or the NBA.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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