Judge dismisses sexual assault and human trafficking charges against Knicks chairman James Dolan [Video]

Warning: The following article contains descriptions of alleged sexual assault.

A judge on Tuesday night dismissed a federal court lawsuit filed against New York Knicks and Rangers owner James Dolan, accusing him of coercing a woman into unwanted sex and coordinating a meeting with former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, according to ESPN's Baxter Holmes.

Kellye Croft filed her lawsuit in January in Los Angeles, alleging that Dolan repeatedly pressured her for sex in 2013 and 2014 and that Weinstein — who has been convicted of various other sex crimes in recent years and was a longtime friend of Dolan's — sexually assaulted her at a Beverly Hills hotel. Croft also accused both men of sexual assault and unwanted touching and Dolan of sex trafficking.

The Oakley case stems from an incident in which the former New York Knicks player was ejected from Madison Square Garden in 2017. The case is still ongoing.

Croft said in her lawsuit that she was hired as a massage therapist for the Eagles band for their 2013 tour. Dolan's band, JD & the Straight Shot, was opening for that tour. She said that Dolan pressured her for sex on multiple occasions throughout the tour and that she “felt obligated to have sex with him.”

When the band had a residency at the Forum in Inglewood, California, in January 2014, Croft rejoined the tour to continue working. She said she met Weinstein that month while waiting for an elevator at a Beverly Hills hotel, which she said Dolan arranged, and Weinstein sexually assaulted her later that night. Croft said she told Dolan about the assault and he was “not at all surprised” because Weinstein was “a 'problematic person' who had a lot of 'serious problems.'”

Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence after being convicted of multiple sex crimes. The allegations against him and subsequent convictions contributed to the larger #MeToo movement in the United States.

Croft's sex trafficking lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled. Her sexual assault, sexual battery and aiding and abetting sexual assault lawsuits were dismissed without prejudice, meaning they can be refiled. Croft's lawyers told ESPN they plan to appeal.

Dolan long denied knowing about Weinstein's sexual misconduct, even though the two had been friends and acquaintances for years before the first allegations surfaced. Dolan was once a board member of one of Weinstein's production companies and even released a song about it with his band in 2018. A lawsuit filed in 2017 and later settled alleged that several men on the board of Weinstein's company knew about his behavior and were involved in the cover-up.

Dolan has led the Madison Square Garden Sports Company, which controls both the Knicks and Rangers, for more than two decades. Through his companies, Dolan also operates Madison Square Garden, Sphere in Las Vegas and more. The Knicks were most recently valued at $6.6 billion by Forbes, making them the second most valuable franchise in the NBA.