According to reports, Erica Herman, the ex-girlfriend of golf legend Tiger Woods, has agreed to drop the $30 million lawsuit against Woods’ estate. Herman brought the suit against the 15-time major champion’s estate alleging he violated the Landlord Tenant Act by tricking her into vacating his Jupiter Island mansion.
Herman claims that she and Woods had an oral tenancy agreement, which would give her the right to live at the house and that she had five years remaining on that agreement when they broke up.
“The Plaintiff, ERICA HERMAN, by and through her undersigned counsel, hereby dismisses without prejudice her Complaint, filed on October 26, 2022, pending resolution of the appeal in Herman v. Woods,” the filing read, “and determination of whether her claims are subject to arbitration.”
Court Decisions Have Been Going Woods’ Way
While Herman dismissed this lawsuit, she is still waiting to hear the decision on another appeal of a judge’s order to throw out a separate lawsuit she filed to negate a non-disclosure agreement she signed with Woods.
This is Herman’s second appeal at nullifying the NDA.
Herman initially requested to be released from the NDA in March, alleging Woods was wrongfully using it against her and citing a federal law that prevents the enforcement of NDAs in instances of sexual assault and harassment.
On May 17th Judge Elizabeth Metzger ruled in favor of Woods, which kept Herman bound to the terms of the NDA.
Judge Metzger called Herman’s allegations “vague and threadbare” and said Herman did not “provide factual specificity for any claim relating to sexual assault or sexual harassment.”
Last-Ditch Effort By Herman Legal Team
Unless Herman and her legal team have new evidence to present in support of her release from the NDA, it is unlikely that she will win this appeal. Whatever she negotiates with Woods will have to be done in arbitration as per the NDA.
Herman, managed Woods’ restaurant The Woods Jupiter before and during the first years of their relationship.
According to Herman, Woods threatened to fire her if she didn’t sign the NDA in 2017. In her lawsuit against Woods, Herman asked Judge Metzger to either void the NDA or at least give her guidance about what she can say publicly. She also argued that the contract only covers her professional relationship with Woods, not their personal involvement.
Stay tuned.
