Sexual Assault Lawsuit Against Luke Walton Dropped

The woman accusing Kings coach Luke Walton of sexual assault in a 2017 incident has dropped her lawsuit against him, according to a report from TMZ Sports.

Former television sports reporter Kelli Tennant had claimed Walton forced himself on her in a Santa Monica hotel room. The suit stated she was “in shock and fear” at the advances and thought she was going to be raped.

Walton, who was an assistant with the Warriors at the time, denied her charges, saying she initiated the meeting and nothing sexual took place. Walton’s attorney, Mark Baute, called her “an opportunist” and vowed that Walton would fight the lawsuit.

The TMZ report states that it’s unclear if a settlement has been reached. Tennant filed new court documents this week in the L.A. County Superior Court asking the judge to dismiss her her suit with prejudice, which means she won’t be able to refile it.

The NBA conducted an independent investigation and announced in August that Walton had been cleared because there wasn’t enough evidence to support Tennant’s allegations. Tennant refused several times through her attorney to talk with investigators hired by the league.

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