Inside Tiger Woods and Erica Herman’s Messy Split including the $30 Million Lawsuit
The legendary golfer Tiger Woods first stepped out with Erica Herman in September 2017 for the Presidents Cup, but unfortunately, the couple only lasted a few years, and as of March 2023, it was revealed that the couple is no longer together. The breakup, however, was messier than anything people had expected. The couple went their separate ways after legal documents were filed by the restauranteur. In the court papers, acquired by TMZ on Wednesday, Herman is aiming to nullify a non-disclosure agreement that she alleges Woods compelled her to sign at the start of their relationship, which she records as August 2017.
The California native alleges that the NDA should not be implemented and cited the Speak Out Act which supplies immunity in procedures where there is proof of sexual assault or harassment. Even though Herman is not verbatim blaming Woods of any impropriety, she claims that the 47-year-old pro is “aggressively enforcing” the NDA and made it obvious she desires to publicly share her affairs with Woods throughout their almost six-year relationship. “Because of the aggressive use of the Woods NDA against her by the Defendant and the trust under his control, the Plaintiff is unsure whether she may disclose, among other things, facts giving rise to various legal claims she believes she has,” read court documents obtained by US Weekly.
In May 2023, a judge rejected Herman's appeal, ordering that the controversy between the exes be held confidential, per the arrangement of their NDA, and the matter should be taken to arbitration. Herman's March 2023 case is associated with the suit she filed against Woods' trust, Jupiter Island Irrevocable Homestead Trust, in October 2022.
According to the legal manuscripts received by US Weekly, Herman indicted Woods’ trust of utilizing “trickery” tactics to persuade her to vacate his Jupiter, Florida, residence for a “short vacation” in Oct. 2022 — just to shut her out amid their separation and renounce her reentry to the home. Herman also alleged in the court reports that Woods employees henceforth cleared her private belongings from the residence, and took $40,000 in cash that belonged to her before making “scurrilous and defamatory allegations about how she obtained the money.” Herman is, therefore, also suing Woods' trust for $30 million, citing that this amount represents the "reasonable rental value" of Woods' residence for the five years that were remaining of their oral agreement
As for Woods, the golf pro answered in court papers alleging that Herman was the one who extracted her belongings from his house and said she wouldn’t return. Soon after Herman's cases went public, a close source to Woods told People that Woods feels like he's in a "nightmare" and desperately desires to detour "another scandal."
"Tiger feels like this is another shakedown," the source said. "[He] has to decide whether it's worth paying that amount so that this can go away. Or else, will he see her giving an interview to Dr. Phil? He is trying to protect himself."
