UPDATE: Former heavyweight campion Mike Tyson has retained legal counsel to defend him in a civil lawsuit alleging that he raped an anonymous woman at some unspecificed time in the 1990s. The lawsuit was filed in New York state court in Albany County, but Tyson's attorneys have now removed the case to United States federal court, specifically the Northern District of New York.
PRIOR BOXINGTALK COVERAGE -- JAN. 25, 2023: An anonymous woman has sued former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson for rape under New York's Adult Survivors Act. The woman is seeking five million dollars for a rape she says took place in the early 1990s (no further specific date was alleged). The Adult Survivors Act allows alleged victims to file sexual abuse claims that would otherwise be barred as untimely under the statute of limitations. The lawsuit is a civil one and there is no indication criminal charges were ever considered or that the matter was reported to the police. Tyson served time for the rape of Desiree Washington from 1992-1995.
Here is what Tyson is accused of: "I met Mike Tyson in the early 1990s at a dance club called Septembers. My friend and I were hanging out with him and his limousine driver. Tyson told us about a party and asked us to join him. My friend was going to drop off her car and Tyson said he would pick her up in the limousine.
"I got in Tysons limousine to pick up my friend from her house. Tyson immediately started to touch me and attempted to kiss me. I told him no several times and asked him to stop, but he continued to attack me. He then pulled my pants off and violently raped me.
"As a result of Tysons rape, I suffered and continue to suffer from physical, psychological and emotional injury. I have experienced feelings of guilt, loss of self-respect, shame, embarrassment, sadness, anger, depression, anxiety, violent tendencies, drug and alcohol addiction and confusion resulting from the brutal rape. I have developed lifelong problems including but not limited to issues with sex, and with being touched as a result of the rape. I have been unable to maintain and/or develop healthy relationships with men or anyone in general. I have experienced extreme emotional suffering including but not limited to nightmares, panic attacks and flashbacks.
"This traumatic experience has caused me everlasting damage and I would like to preserve my privacy in this matter of a sensitive and highly personal nature. Patient is a famous celebrity and I know I would be attacked by the media and all of his fans. The identification of myself to my friends, family, coworkers and the general public with certainly put arrest to me a further mental harm, harassment, ridicule or personal embarrassment. It’s for all the reasons that I would like this case to be brought anonymously."
