Erica Herman Files Legal Complaints Against Tiger Woods Over NDA and Residency Dispute
Erica Herman, Tiger Woods' former girlfriend, is taking legal action against Woods in relation to a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) and a residency dispute. In October 2022, Woods and Herman ended their relationship, and in the wake of their split, Herman filed complaints against Woods. The first complaint seeks a court judgment on the extent of the NDA, which Herman believes is unenforceable. The second complaint alleges an oral tenancy agreement, and Herman is suing for damages for the remaining five years of the agreement.
The primary cause of these disputes is the NDA that was signed on August 9, 2017, according to court filings. The NDA states that any disputes arising between the parties should be resolved through binding confidential arbitration to the fullest extent permitted by law. Herman is pursuing a ruling on the enforceability of the NDA and the obligations of those around her concerning her relationship with Woods. Herman's complaint states that she is uncertain about what information she can share or with whom, including "facts giving rise to various legal claims she believes she has."
Herman refers to the Speak Out Act, which was enacted and signed into law in December of 2022, in her complaint. The act prohibits NDAs agreed to before a dispute arises involving sexual assault or harassment. Although Herman has not specifically accused Woods of sexual abuse, her case's civil cover sheet implies allegations of sexual abuse.
Woods' agent has not yet responded to requests for comment. Legal disputes between Woods and Herman have been ongoing in recent months regarding Herman's right to live in Woods' home. Court documents indicate that Woods ended the relationship on October 13, 2022, and Herman filed a separate complaint against the Jupiter Island Irrevocable Homestead Trust, which Woods set up in February 2017, and owns his primary property in Hobe Sound, thirteen days later.
Herman's complaint alleges that she lived at Woods' house for six years as part of an oral tenancy agreement between the two, with about five years remaining on the agreement. Herman claims that the agreement granted her the right to live in the residence for a certain period and that she had extensive duties to perform. Woods responded to the allegations by initiating arbitration against Herman. Woods' arbitration request claims that there is no oral tenancy agreement entitling Herman to occupy the residence.
According to Herman, agents of the trust convinced her to pack a suitcase for a short vacation, and when she arrived at the airport, they told her she had been She is currently unable to access her rented home, which goes against the verbal tenancy agreement and is also a breach of Florida state law. Herman also alleges that the trust's agents paid for a hotel room and other expenses for a short period of time, having successfully locked her out of her home and frightened her away from returning. Herman seeks monetary damages for being removed from the right to live at the property as a tenant, as per the alleged agreement.
Lawyers who are representing the trust have contested Herman's complaint and asked for it to be dismissed. They claim that the trust cannot be sued as it is not a "juristic person" and that Herman's complaint is merely an attempt to disguise disputes between herself and Woods. The trust's legal team is instead focusing on the arbitration process that was laid out in the NDA.
On January 19, 2023, Herman's representation filed an opposition, again citing the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021 as a reason for a court to decide the enforceability of the NDA.