A state judge in Florida ruled in favor of Tiger Woods in his public dispute with his ex-girlfriend, Erica Herman. The judge ordered the matter to be resolved privately in arbitration, following allegations of sexual harassment and a contentious breakup between the two in October.
Judge Elizabeth Metzger’s ruling granted Woods a victory in his effort to keep the dispute out of the public eye. The court case will be stayed until the completion of arbitration, and the judge administratively closed the case.
The dispute originated from the question of whether the disagreement between the former couple should be settled in private arbitration, as stipulated in a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) they allegedly signed in 2017. The dispute escalated after their breakup, with Herman suing the trust established by Woods for the house they shared, claiming damages exceeding $30 million. Woods sought to move the dispute to private arbitration based on the terms of the NDA.
In March, Herman filed a lawsuit challenging the validity of the NDA, citing new federal laws that prohibit the use of NDAs and private arbitration in cases involving sexual harassment. However, the judge ruled that Herman had not provided enough evidence to dispute the existence of the NDA and did not sufficiently present her case on the sexual harassment issue.
Woods’ attorney argued that the NDA was valid, and Herman’s claims were baseless, referring to her as a “jilted ex-girlfriend.” The judge agreed, stating that Herman had not pursued any formal claims of sexual assault or harassment against Woods.
During the court hearing, Herman’s attorney primarily focused on questioning the validity of the NDA and requested an evidentiary hearing. However, the judge expressed skepticism about this aspect of the case, noting that Herman’s claim of not recalling signing the NDA was not sufficient to dispute its existence.
Overall, the court ruled in favor of Woods, directing the dispute to be resolved through private arbitration and keeping the details of the case out of the public domain.
