Trump Attorney Lauro Defending Ex-NBA Lotto Pick Jackson in Sex Case
John Lauro, the attorney helming the sprawling criminal defense of former President Donald Trump, has recently taken up a civil rape lawsuit against basketball player Josh Jackson, the No. 4 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
In a civil case filed last month in U.S. District Court, a woman accused Jackson of sexually assaulting her after they met at a 2022 Super Bowl party in New York. There have been no criminal charges stemming from the alleged incident.
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Lauro entered his appearance in the Jackson case on June 19, about a month before he joined Trump’s legal team to defend the former president against charges brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith.
A former federal prosecutor, Lauro currently runs a small criminal defense firm with offices in New York and Florida that advertises itself as helping individuals and businesses in “crisis situations.” He did not respond to a reporter’s query over email and text message, nor did another lawyer for his firm involved in Jackson’s defense. A spokesperson for Jackson’s talent agency, Wasserman, declined to comment on the allegations made in the lawsuit.
In 2007, Lauro represented former NBA official Tim Donaghy, who eventually pled guilty to betting on games he officiated and was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison. Prior to the sentencing, Lauro and the NBA’s commissioner at the time, David Stern, engaged in a public feud over the league’s response to the betting scandal and whether, as the attorney alleged, the NBA tried to pressure the Department of Justice not to expand its investigation beyond Donaghy.
Jackson’s accuser, whose identity is concealed in court filings, claims that she initially went to the party because she was romantically interested in NBA player Andre Drummond, who co-hosted the party and who is not implicated in the woman’s allegations. Instead, she ended up leaving with Jackson and then later agreed to meet up with him at his hotel in the early morning hours, believing that Drummond was with him.
The woman claims she was very intoxicated upon arriving at Jackson’s room at the New York Edition Hotel, at which point, the lawsuit says, he propositioned her for sex, offering her $1,500 while boasting that he had another $12 million in his bank account. The plaintiff says she rebuffed his request before laying down on the bed in the room and falling asleep. At some point later, the plaintiff alleges, she was awakened by Jackson attempting to forcibly have sex with her and tried to fight him off. The lawsuit says she left the hotel room, purchased an emergency contraceptive from a pharmacy, and took a train home where she showered.
Later that same day, the lawsuit says, an accomplice of Jackson’s who was at the Super Bowl party sent the plaintiff a threatening text message, accusing her of stealing Jackson’s watch. Hours later, two “imposing, hoodie-clad female individuals,” who were also named as defendants in the lawsuit, broke into her apartment and physically assaulted and robbed her, while announcing they had come to reclaim Jackson’s watch. They were later charged with larceny and criminal trespassing.
About two months after the alleged rape, the plaintiff reported the matter to New York City police, according to a redacted copy of the incident report provided to Sportico by her attorney, Seamus Barrett. Though Jackson is not named in the document, the description of the accused party matches his age and biographical details. He was never arrested or booked on any charges related to the allegations.
Once considered a potential No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, Jackson was ultimately selected fourth by Phoenix in 2017—ahead of future NBA All-Stars De’Aaron Fox, Lauri Markkanen, Donovan Mitchell and Bam Adebayo. After two up-and-down seasons with the Suns, he had stints with the Memphis Grizzlies, Detroit Pistons and Sacramento Kings, but he failed to make an NBA roster this past season. In January, he signed with the Kings’ G League affiliate in Stockton, Calif., but was waived days later.
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