Derrick Rose. AP FILE
LOS ANGELES, United States — A Los Angeles jury on Wednesday dismissed a civil lawsuit brought against Derrick Rose by a woman who claimed she had been gang-raped by the NBA New York Knicks star.
Jurors deliberated for less than four hours before returning with their verdict and rejecting allegations from the woman, who sought $21 million in damages.
The woman, 30, had filed her case after claiming that Rose and two friends, Ryan Allen and Randall Hampton, had raped her repeatedly at her apartment after drugging her in 2013.
Rose had denied any accusation of wrongdoing, claiming that the sex which took place was consensual.
The woman, an ex-girlfriend of Rose, didn’t report the alleged incident to police until 2015. Court documents show that Los Angeles police opened an investigation. Her lawsuit was filed in August of 2015.
Rose, 28, and his co-defendants, embraced their attorneys after the verdict.
Trial Judge Michael Fitzgerald, meanwhile, wished Rose luck for the upcoming season with the Knicks, “except when you play the Lakers.”
An attorney for Rose’s accuser, Waukeen McCoy, later denied his client had been motivated by money and said he would study the case for possible grounds for appeal.
“Money’s wasn’t the purpose,” McCoy told reporters.
McCoy had earlier told jurors the allegations were a “a classic case of gang rape” insisting his client was “not looking for a quick dollar, she is looking for accountability.”
Rose’s lawyer had accused the complainant of fabricating her story.
“She wants money,” attorney Mark Baute told the jury. “She was upset with Derrick for ending their relationship. She is not a real rape victim — she is a liar.”
Rose, a former NBA Most Valuable Player with the Chicago Bulls, was traded to the Knicks this season after spending seven seasons with his hometown club. CBB