A massage therapist claims she was pressured into sex with Madison Square Garden boss James Dolan in 2013, then sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein a year later, according to a new lawsuit.
In a sex assault and trafficking suit filed in California federal court Tuesday, Kellye Croft, now 38, claims Dolan initially befriended her while she worked as a masseuse on a 2013 tour featuring the Eagles and Dolan’s band, J.D. and the Straight Shot.
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A lawyer for Dolan, who also owns the New York Knicks, called the case “meritless” Tuesday, arguing that the inclusion of convicted sex offender Weinstein’s toxic name was meant to “inflame.”
“Mr. Dolan always believed Ms. Croft to be a good person and is surprised she would agree to these claims,” E. Danya Perry said in a statement.
“Bottom line, this is not a he said/she said matter and there is compelling evidence to back up our position.”
According to the suit, Croft was initially hired to join the tour — which was financed in part by Dolan’s businesses — to provide massages for late Eagles frontman Glenn Frey.
However, Croft was allowed to massage other members of the band and crew and handed Dolan her card during the tour in November 2013.
The suit asserts she was unaware of his prominence or position at the time, according to the papers.
Dolan would soon schedule an appointment with Croft, and noted she was visibly upset during the massage.
Croft confided in Dolan that she had been ostracised by other members of the tour as they blamed her for the removal of Eagles manager Tom Golseth. The staffer, she said, had berated her during an unspecified dispute and was later expelled from the tour.
Dolan, she said, promised to handle the situation.
“I will make sure this is taken care of,” he pledged, papers state.
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Soon after, Frey was grovelling for Croft’s forgiveness.
“Frey called Ms. Croft and apologised repeatedly and profusely to her for the situation with Golseth,” the suit states. “Ms. Croft found this behaviour extremely out of character for Mr. Frey.”
Later that November, Croft joined the tour in Miami for another stop and again gave Dolan a massage. “I told you I would take care of it,” he told her.
The suit claims Dolan then pulled Croft toward him during the end of the massage.
“Dolan then grabbed Ms. Croft’s hands, dragging her to a couch in the same room and forcing her hands between his knees as he sat down,” the papers state.
Croft told him she was uninterested in sexual relations, and noted in the suit that Dolan was 30 years older than she and married at the time.
She felt “disgusted and terrified” but submitted because of Dolan’s position of influence, the case asserts.
However, Croft continued to have sex with Dolan several times after that initial encounter and to give him professional massages during the tour, according to the suit.
“Ms. Croft was disgusted by Dolan, but her youth and extreme loneliness on the road with strangers, as well as Dolan’s immense power, made it possible for Dolan to manipulate Ms. Croft and lure her under [his] control,” the case, filed by attorney Douglas Wigdor, argues.
Dolan’s attorneys noted Wigdor has also previously filed a case against Dolan on behalf of former Knick Charles Oakley over his 2017 ejection from Madison Square Garden.
“These claims reflect an act of retaliation by an attorney who has brought multiple cases against Mr. Dolan and has not, and cannot, win a judgment against him,” Perry said.
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Croft’s suit explains how she was again called to join the Eagles tour in California in late 2013, and agreed to do so.
The case notes that she was under the impression that she would be working solely for the Eagles, but was told by a tour staffer that her flight from Tennessee to Los Angeles would be paid for by the “JD credit card” — an apparent reference to Dolan.
She soon learned the tycoon’s band would again be opening for the group, who were playing a multi-night residency — and she would be staying at the same hotel as Dolan and his bandmates, the Peninsula in Beverly Hills.
Croft’s suit asserts no band members actually had her perform massages during the stint — and she believed she was summoned purely to satisfy Dolan.
The pair again engaged in sexual relations — and Croft at one point believed the business titan had developed deeper feelings for her.
“At times, Dolan acted romantically towards Ms. Croft, pretending that he brought her to California for something more than merely satisfying his desire to have a sex-fuelled ‘rock star’ experience on the road,” the suit states.
Those notions would eventually fizzle in Croft’s mind, the suit states.
On January 14, 2014, as the shows were ongoing, Dolan told Croft to join two female business associates for a shopping and lunch outing in Los Angeles.
After she returned to the Peninsula, Croft saw a man waiting for an elevator alongside her.
The two entered together, and the man — Harvey Weinstein — eventually struck up a conversation and asked what she was doing in the area.
She revealed her ties to Dolan, and Weinstein told her he happened to be one of his best friends.
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Weinstein remarked that Dolan had mentioned Croft to her, and said he had openings for a masseuse on movie sets.
According to the suit, she agreed to discuss the scenario in Weinstein’s suite.
The movie mogul began to praise her looks, comparing her to Reese Witherspoon at one point before pushing her to give him a massage.
Croft declined, but the pursuit intensified, the papers state.
“Well, this is just how people do things in Hollywood,” Weinstein said. “If you will not be reasonable and not be able to handle things on the fly, you won’t make it in Hollywood.”
She eventually left his suite and headed to her own room, but Weinstein allegedly followed behind wearing only a robe. He followed her into her room, backed her onto a bed and attempted to penetrate her, the suit states.
At that point, the phone rang, and Croft told Weinstein it was likely Dolan in an attempt to end his advances, which turned out to be true and gave her an opportunity to leave.
“You know Jim and I are best friends,” he told her. “He’s going to be very disappointed you led me on. This won’t look good for you.”
Croft said she later told Dolan what happened and he told her Weinstein was “troubled” and he and other friends of the mogul — who at that time had yet to be publicly accused of sexual manipulation — had urged him to get help.
The suit contends Dolan had arranged for Weinstein to encounter her in the hotel lobby, without elaborating further.
Traumatised, Croft left the tour and returned to Tennessee. The case — which seeks unspecified damages — asserts Croft’s experiences led to a downward spiral into depression and drug use.
“She is unable to engage in the physical healing practice that she cared so deeply for, as now it carries all the pain and devastation caused by Dolan and Weinstein,” the suit states.
Attempts by The Post to reach Croft on Tuesday were unsuccessful.
In a quote provided by her lawyer but not included in the suit, Croft claimed Dolan had “set [her] up for a vicious attack by Weinstein,” and added: “It was not an easy decision to come forward and seek justice. But for me to truly address my trauma, I need to seek accountability.”
An attorney for Weinstein denied the incident.
Attorney Jennifer Bonjean told The Post: “Mr. Weinstein vehemently denies these meritless allegations and looks forward to litigating these claims in a court of law where the truth will be revealed.”
The lawsuit was filed as part of a newly opened window for historical sexual offences that took place in California between 2009 and 2019. The lookback window will remain open until 2026.
This story originally appeared on the New York Post and has been reposted with permission
