COLLIN COUNTY — Dak Prescott is countersuing the woman who sued for $100 million compensation for alleged sexual assault.
According to the lawsuit filed by Prescott, the alleged assault occurred on or around Feb. 2, 2017, after Prescott’s rookie season with the Dallas Cowboys. The woman claims Prescott invited her out with two members of his “entourage” and other women to an establishment in Plano, later getting into a black SUV where Prescott allegedly exposed himself and “used physical force and sexually assaulted” her.
Prescott has denied the allegations, his lawyers calling them “patently false” and “heinous” with “no basis in reality,” in which $100 million would be exchanged “for her not pressing false charges with the authorities.”
The woman’s lawsuit filed in Jan. 2024, stated she “is willing to forego pursuing criminal charges, along with disclosing this information to the public, in exchange for compensating her for the mental anguish she has suffered. Damages are valued at the sum of $100,000,000.00.”
Notification of that lawsuit was sent to a third party at Mississippi State University, where Prescott attended college.
In the letter sent to Mississippi State, the woman’s counsel states:
“[She] has had to live with this pain and trauma for 7 years. It affected her relationship with her fiancé and her everyday existence so much that she had to attend therapy and counseling and will require future therapy and counseling. She has suffered mental anguish that is unimaginable dealing with the trauma of being a sexual assault of victim. Despite the tragic events, she is willing to forego pursuing criminal charges, along with disclosing this information to the public, in exchange for compensating her for the mental anguish she has suffered.”
Prescott and his representatives received correspondence from the woman’s counsel, the Law Offices of Bethel T. Zehaie, PLLC on Feb. 13, 2024.
On Monday, March 11, 2024, Prescott’s countersuit was filed, alleging he is the subject of an extortion plot.
Prescott’s countersuit repeatedly states that he has never engaged in nonconsensual sexual behavior with anyone. It also says Prescott “has great empathy for survivors of sexual assault and believes fervently that all perpetrators of such crimes should be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” and that false claims “undermine the courage of actual sexual assault survivors everywhere as well as the legitimacy of the horrific traumas they have endured.”
“Mr. Prescott — a new father to a baby girl — has great empathy for survivors of sexual assault,” Levi McCarthern, Prescott’s attorney, said in a statement.
In a statement to CBS News Texas, Bethel Zahaie said, “We stand by the truth. Dak and his lawyers are trying to be bullies and play hardball and victim blame. We are not afraid of the truth. [She] has had to attend therapy and endure trauma because of the sexual assault … This young lady was in absolute tears in my office. Dak needs to be held accountable for his behavior. We are not afraid of him or his legal team.”
Prescott’s countersuit is also for $100 million. He committed to donating all recovery from the lawsuit to the Joyful Heart Foundation, a national organization recognized for its work with victims of assault and abuse.
