- Tiger Woods’ lawyers shared a copy of his NDA with ex-girlfriend Erica Herman in court papers Monday.
- Herman filed a lawsuit after Woods broke up with her and kicked her out of his house last year.
- Woods says Herman violated their NDA, in which she agreed to arbitrate disputes out of court.
Tiger Woods’ lawyers shared a copy of the non-disclosure agreement he had his then-girlfriend Erica Herman sign soon after they started dating in 2017, as the golfer tries to force her to arbitrate a disagreement out of court.
While the copy of the NDA that was provided in Martin County, Florida, circuit court on Monday was heavily redacted, it does show that Herman agreed to arbitrate all disputes with Woods “as consideration for the opportunity to continue to” spend time with him and “be privy to certain private and confidential aspects” of his personal life.
Lawyers for Herman and Woods did not immediately return Insider’s request for comment on Tuesday.
Herman and Woods’ current issues date back to October 2022, when Woods broke up with Herman and kicked her out of his Jupiter, Florida, home. Herman responded by suing the trust that owns Woods’ home, claiming that Woods violated an oral agreement that allowed her to live in the home rent-free for a period of years.
Woods’ lawyers have argued that Herman sued the trust to get around a provision in the NDA, in which she agreed to arbitrate all disputes with the golfer out of court. Herman has since filed a second lawsuit trying to get out of the NDA by using the federal “Speak Out Act” law that nullifies such agreements in cases where sexual harassment or sexual assault are being claimed. However, Herman made no specific allegations of sexual harassment or assault in her NDA complaint against Woods.
Woods’ lawyers filed a copy of the NDA in a motion to compel arbitration in the second lawsuit on Monday. A similar filing, arguing that the Speak Out Act doesn’t apply to the NDA, was made in the first lawsuit on Monday as well. In both filings, Woods’ attorneys described Herman as a “jilted ex-girlfriend.”
“Ms. Herman is not a victim of sexual assault or abuse sought to be protected by Congress when enacting the statute,” Woods’ lawyers wrote. “Rather, Ms. Herman is a jilted ex-girlfriend who wants to publicly litigate specious claims in court, rather than honor her commitment to arbitrate disputes in a confidential arbitration proceeding.”
Tiger Woods and Erica Herman.
Rob Carr/Getty
In Herman’s original complaint against the trust, she alleged that she was tricked into moving out of Woods’ house. Herman said she was told to pack her bags for a short vacation, but when she left the home, she was notified that she had been locked out of the residence where she had lived with Woods for the previous six years.
Herman said in court papers that the defendants “attempted to justify their illegal conduct by paying for a hotel room and certain expenses for a short period of time.”
Woods’ attorneys said in another court filing that he put her up in a luxury resort after their break-up and “provided funds she could apply toward a new residence.”
Herman alleged in the original suit that by kicking her out of the home, the trust violated an oral agreement that allowed her to live rent-free at the home, in exchange for her performing “valuable services.” While Herman — who also worked at Woods’ restaurant — doesn’t detail what those valuable services entailed, she said she held up her end of the bargain, and had five years left on the agreement.
“The duties that were performed by, and expected of, Plaintiff were extensive and of an extraordinary nature in light of the overall circumstances and environment in which she lived,” the lawsuit states.
Woods’ lawyers have denied that Herman had any tenancy agreement to live at the home, and that the golfer and his two children are the only people who have any right to live there.
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