Former Los Angeles Lakers player Byron Scott is accused of sexually assaulting a girl at the age of 15 in 1987 earlier this month, and was 26 years old during a high school team event.
The lawsuit was first filed in December 2022, and the lawsuit, amended on May 1, alleges sexual battery and false imprisonment. The revised complaint was first named a former 64-year-old former Laker.
The plaintiff was attending summer classes at Campbell Hall High School in Los Angeles when she was sexually assaulted by Scott in the locked custodian’s closet in the school’s gymnasium, according to the complaint. The Lakers were at a school in the Studio City area of L.A., filming educational basketball videos at the gym and meeting students, parents and teachers, according to the complaint.
At the time, Scott had his fourth season with the Lakers during his Showtime era, winning two of his three NBA championships with the team.
The lawsuit was filed in 2022 under California law, allowing an old lawsuit to be filed against a minor plaintiff. The law required that defendants remain anonymous until certain thresholds were exceeded.
The judge ruled that Scott could be identified last August.
Attorney Linda Bauermeister said in a statement that Scott thought the girl at the time was legal age.
“Our clients are ravaged by this complaint, a basketball event in 1987,” Bauermeister said in a statement Wednesday. “Our clients believe that the plaintiff is over 18 and did not believe he would argue that he would not be until 35 years later. He respects the girl and the woman, and the claims blind him and his family.”
Having spent 10 years with the Lakers and won the NBA title in the renowned franchise in 1985, 1987 and 1988, Scott scored a career-high 21.7 points from 1987-88.
Scott also played for the Indiana Pacers and then Vancouver’s Grizzlies before returning to the Lakers for the 1996-97 season. He coached the NBA from 1998 to 2016. This includes head coaching stints with the Lakers.
He is currently a coach in the Philippines and is married to Seco Gutierrez, who is currently a member of the “Basketball Wife” reality show.
The lawsuit calls for trial by a jury and claims damages of more than $25,000. This includes loss of profits and attorneys’ fees for Scott and the school to pay.
Source link
