The network of Hollywood executives and companies alleged to have known about and facilitated sex crimes by Harvey Weinstein is growing, with a lawsuit filed against James Dolan, the live events mogul behind Madison Square Garden Entertainment and AMC Networks.
A former massage therapist employed by Dolan accuses him of pressuring her into an unwanted sexual relationship a decade ago and orchestrating an encounter with Weinstein, who she also claimed sexually assaulted her. She alleges Dolan knew about Weinstein’s predatory behavior after the incident occurred in 2014, a year before he joined as a board member of the Weinstein Co.
E. Donya Perry, a lawyer for Dolan, denied the allegations and called the relationship a “friendship.”
“The references to Harvey Weinstein are simply meant to inflame and appear to be plagiarized from prior cases against Mr. Weinstein,” she said in a statement. “These claims reflect an act of retaliation by an attorney who has brought multiple cases against Mr. Dolan and has not won, and cannot win, a judgment against him.”
While Weinstein continues to serve a 39-year prison sentence for rape and assault, high-profile companies in Hollywood once affiliated with the ex-movie mogul continue to be sued for aiding alleged assaults. Last year, CAA was named in a suit from Julia Ormond accusing the agency of encouraging her to take a meeting with Weinstein that led to her being assaulted despite her former agents Bryan Lourd and Kevin Huvane allegedly knowing about his “propensity for sexually assaultive and exploitative behavior.” Disney was also sued for negligently shifting responsibility on supervising Weinstein, with the aim of overlooking the misconduct to continue profiting off of the company’s dealing with Miramax. None of the individuals were named in the suit as defendants. CAA and Disney have denied the claims.
In the complaint, filed on Tuesday in California federal court, Kellye Croft says she met Dolan in 2013 when she was 27-years-old working as a massage therapist on tour with the Eagles. Dolan’s band, JD & The Straight Shot, was the opening act through his ties with the classic rock group’s management company, Azoff Music Management.
According to the suit, Dolan in 2014 initiated a sexual relationship with Croft, who alleged she was trafficked across the country “under fraudulent pretenses for Dolan to engage in unlawful and unwelcome sex acts with her.” Unlike other tour support staff, she stresses she was housed at the same hotel as Dolan and his band, with all expenses on the “JD credit card.”
“She felt disgusted and terrified of the situation, but the extreme isolation she felt from others on the tour, coupled with Dolan’s attention to her, his assertions that he would take care of her, and her recognition that this man held immense power over everyone’s position on the tour—including hers—led her to submit to Dolan’s advances,” the complaint stated.
On Jan. 14, Croft says Weinstein — who allegedly introduced himself as one of Dolan’s “best friends” and asked if she was “the massage therapist” — ambushed her when she was waiting for an elevator at her hotel with an offer to connect her with opportunities for work, per the complaint. She alleges Weinstein forcefully entered her room after she declined his sexual advances.
The suit stated, “Weinstein then backed Ms. Croft onto the bed, forced her down, and forced her legs open. Standing between her legs, he undid his robe, and shoved his fingers inside of her, using his other hand to hold her down.”
The allegations mirror claims from Weinstein’s Los Angeles criminal trial, which saw prosecutors argue that Weinstein would often corner his victims in hotel rooms. Those proceedings also saw a massage therapist testify that Weinstein lured her with work opportunities.
When Croft told Dolan about the incident, he allegedly responded that Weinstein was a “troubled person” who had “serious issues” but that he was getting help, she claims.
The complaint also names MSG Entertainment and the Azoff Company, which managed the Eagles and The Straight Shot. Croft alleges the company, as well as other corporate defendants, perpetrated sex trafficking by “transporting her to California for the purposes of providing sexual favors.” According to the complaint, Dolan was a “critically important business partner” after Madison Square Garden invested $175 million in Azoff MSG Entertainment and served as a funding source for the Eagles 2014 tour.
The suit filed on Tuesday isn’t the first time Dolan has landed in legal trouble for his ties to Weinstein. In 2017, he was sued by six women who were assaulted by Weinstein for failing to address his “pattern and practice of predatory sexual conduct.” The case settled in 2021.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Weinstein said his client “denies these meritless allegations and looks forward to litigating these claims in a court of law where the truth will be revealed.”
Douglas Wigdor, who’s representing Ormond in her suit against CAA, also represents Croft.
