Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has filed a lawsuit against a woman who accused him of sexual assault, alleging that she and her lawyers extorted him.
Prescott filed the suit against Victoria Shores and her attorneys, Bethel and Yoel Zehaie, in Collin County, Texas, according to ProFootballTalk.
In his suit, Prescott says that the attorneys sent him a letter in January claiming that he sexually assaulted their client in 2017.
“Ms. Shores has had to live with this pain and trauma for 7 years,” the alleged letter said. “It affected her relationship with her fiancé and her everyday existence so much that she had to attend therapy and counseling and will require future therapy and counseling. She has suffered mental anguish that is unimaginable dealing with the trauma of being a sexual assault of victim.
“Despite the tragic events, she is willing to forego pursuing criminal charges, along with disclosing this information to the public, in exchange for compensating her for the mental anguish she has suffered. Ms. Shores’s damages are valued at the sum of $100,000,000.00. You have until February 16, 2024, to respond to this demand letter.”
The 2017 season was Prescott’s second in the NFL.
According to WFAA, the accuser’s letter alleged that Prescott used “physical force and sexually assaulted [the woman] by penetrating her vagina against her consent” in an SUV after she told him that she “did not want to engage in sexual intercourse and made sure to verbalize her wishes.”
Prescott’s lawyer, Levi McCathern, who has also represented former Cowboys wideout Michael Irvin over the past year, issued a statement to PFT.
“Recently, Mr. Prescott found himself the subject of an extortion plot,” McCathern said.
“The Defendant and her legal team have threatened to go public with a completely fabricated story of sexual assault from nearly a decade ago, and demanded that Mr. Prescott immediately pay $100 Million in exchange for her not pressing false charges with the authorities.
“Mr. Prescott — a new father to a baby girl — has great empathy for survivors of sexual assault. He fervently believes that all perpetrators of such crimes should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. To be clear, Mr. Prescott has never engaged in any nonconsensual, sexual conduct with anyone. Lies hurt. Especially, malicious lies. We will not allow the Defendant and her legal team to profit from this attempt to extort millions from Mr. Prescott.”
McCathern added that Prescott has reported the matter to the “proper authorities” and said that his client will cooperate with any investigation and donate any proceeds from the lawsuit should it be successful to the Joyful Heart Foundation.
Defamation, slander and civil extortion/duress are included amongst the claims in Prescott’s suit.
It is unclear as of this writing whether Shores and her attorneys will file a counterclaim.
