STUART, Fla. — Tiger Woods was not in a Stuart courtroom on Tuesday, but his lawyers were fighting to keep private the details of a lawsuit filed by his ex-girlfriend.
Erica Herman is seeking to invalidate a non-disclosure agreement that would allow her $30 million suit to proceed in court claiming illegal eviction from Woods' Jupiter Island mansion.
Judge Elizabeth Metzger did not rule on the NDA, which would force the dispute to go before arbitration in private.
Golf
Judge seems skeptical of Tiger Woods' ex-girlfriend's claims
Herman's attorney is arguing the NDA should be invalidated because of alleged sexual harassment, citing her employment as a manager at Woods' Jupiter restaurant and their personal relationship.
Woods' attorney has called the allegations "utterly meritless."
Herman also claims she was deceived when Woods ended the relationship right before a Bahamas trip.
"This case is unusual in that she is saying there was an agreement she could live in the mansion for 11 years," Nova Southeastern University law professor Bob Jarvis said. "That is highly specific and very unusual."
For Woods, the case is another episode in which details of his personal life are playing out in the public eye, which Jarvis said may lead Woods to ultimately find a settlement to the case.
"Certainly, he is a brand," Jarvis said. "This is hurting his brand, and so he has every reason to try to get this out of the public eye."
