A female sports reporter claims she was sexually assaulted by Sacramento Kings head coach Luke Walton.
The alleged incident took place in a Santa Monica hotel sometime before Walton was hired as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in April 2016.
Kelli Tennant, a former reporter for the Los Angeles-based network Spectrum SportsNet, claims in her lawsuit that she and Walton scheduled a business meeting when he was an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors.
According to Tennant’s lawsuit, Walton asked her to meet him at his hotel in Santa Monica to talk about a book that she was writing, according to TMZ.
Recently hired Sacramento Kings head coach Luke Walton (left) is being sued by Kelli Tennant (right), a Los Angeles-based television sports reporter, for sexual assault
Tennant alleges in her lawsuit that Walton forced himself on her in his hotel room in Santa Monica during an encounter sometime before April 2016
Tennant, who has known Walton for years, wanted the former Lakers player to write the foreword to her new book.
According to her lawsuit, Tennant says that shortly after arriving at the hotel, Walton convinced her to join him in his room.
Once in the room, she alleges that Walton pinned her to the bed and forced himself on her, placing his hips and legs over her body.
Walton then is alleged to have forced kisses on her neck, face, and chest, according to legal documents obtained by TMZ.
Tennant alleges in her lawsuit that she screamed for Walton to stop.
When she tried to free herself, he kept holding her down, the lawsuit states.
Tennant claims she and Walton agreed to meet in order to discuss her new book, the foreword of which she hoped he would write
Once in the room, she alleges that Walton pinned her to the bed and forced himself on her, placing his hips and legs over her body
After the alleged incident, Tennant continued to interact with Walton because she says it was part of her job requirement. She alleges that each time they met, Walton would give her a hug and a kiss, both of which were unwanted
Before she embarked on a career in broadcasting, Tennant was a collegiate volleyball
