Lawsuit Accuses Zion Williamson of Rape, Abuse

A lawsuit filed on Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court accused New Orleans Pelicans power forward Zion Williamson of a number of unsettling acts, including — but not limited to — rape. According to The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov, who reported on the lawsuit and its implications, the lawsuit included accusations of rape and physical abuse, with the plaintiff stating that Williamson’s actions made her “fear for her life in several instances.”

The lawsuit also includes allegations of physical abuse, stalking and imprisonment — as well as accusations that Williamson threatened the plaintiff’s life. USA Today‘s reporting on the lawsuit, from Scooby Axson and Jeff Zillgitt, includes more details from the lawsuit, including the plaintiff’s contention that Williamson “was either drunk or on cocaine” when much of the abuse took place.

The plaintiff, listed in court records as Jane Doe, said in the lawsuit that her relationship with Williamson lasted from 2018 to 2023, beginning when he was a student at Duke University.

The allegations made in the lawsuit are harrowing to read; in an article for Defector on the lawsuit, Diana Moskovitz has a detailed overview of its contents. Among the most unsettling allegations in a legal document full of them is that Williamson threatened to have a security guard kill the plaintiff’s parents.

In a statement provided to The Athletic, Williamson’s attorneys called the lawsuit’s accusations “categorically false and reckless” and denied that Williamson and the plaintiff had dated, arguing that they had instead had “a consensual, casual relationship.” Williamson’s lawyers also told The Athletic that he planned to seek damages as a result of the suit