Sport agent Jonathan Barnett accused of rape in US lawsuit

Excessive-profile British sports activities agent Jonathan Barnett has been accused of raping a lady greater than 39 instances, in a US lawsuit.

In a civil grievance lodged at a US district court docket in Los Angeles, the unnamed girl, known as “Jane Doe”, says Mr Barnett “trafficked” her from Australia to the UK in 2017, “tortured” and stored her as a “intercourse slave” over a six 12 months interval.

She says Mr Barnett made “repeated threats to her life and the lives of her minor kids”.

The 75-year-old identified for representing main footballers together with Gareth Bale and Jack Grealish, says the costs “haven’t any foundation in actuality and are unfaithful”.

“We’ll vigorously defend this lawsuit by means of the suitable authorized course of. I’m trying ahead to being fully vindicated and exonerated,” a press release from his attorneys stated.

Mr Barnett was ranked because the world’s strongest sports activities agent in 2019 by Forbes journal.

The civil case was filed on Wednesday.

In keeping with court docket paperwork, the pair first met within the Nineteen Nineties by means of an expert athlete in London and reconnected on-line after which in particular person in 2017.

Inside a matter of weeks she relocated to the UK along with her teenage kids – with sports activities company CAA Stellar, headed by Mr Barnett, overlaying shifting bills.

The submitting says that upon her arrival, he instructed her he “owned” her and raped her in a resort room.

Mr Barnett went on to impose strict guidelines to obey him always, referring to him as “My Grasp” and to “by no means say it hurts”, in keeping with the lawsuit.

The grievance goes on to explain alleged degrading acts that included consuming urine or ingesting faeces.

The alleged torture additionally included the lady “tied up in a single day with out meals or water”.

She says she was “trafficked, threatened, tortured, and held” in bondage in several areas all through the world, together with Los Angeles, from 2017 to 2023.

“Realising she was powerless towards a harmful predator, Ms Doe submitted to Barnett to be able to keep away from being severely overwhelmed and even killed,” the lawsuit stated.

“Jane Doe” can be suing Hollywood expertise agency Inventive Artists Company and sports activities company CAA Stellar, the place Mr Barnett was government chairman till his retirement final 12 months.

The court docket paperwork state the CAA Stellar’s dad or mum corporations, expertise companies ICM and CAA, “failed to search out and/or willfully or recklessly disregarded” that substantial funds have been made between 2017 and 2023, regardless of the lady not being an athlete or agent.

It’s claimed Barnett referred to her as “slave” in emails despatched from his work account.

Court docket paperwork say Mr Barnett used his “cash and energy to take care of coercive management” over the lady who was “in concern of her life and the lives of her kids”.

Legal professionals for “Jane Doe” state the case is about “institutional abuse on the highest stage”.

They’re searching for compensation on her behalf.

In keeping with LA Instances, CAA stated it first heard of the lady’s allegations final 12 months when her attorneys made settlement calls for – and the press inquired.

“Whereas the grievance makes an attempt to attach these allegations to CAA’s enterprise, Ms Doe has by no means been an worker, marketing consultant, or contractor of CAA, ICM, or Stellar, nor has she ever had any enterprise connection to CAA, ICM, or Stellar,” CAA stated in its assertion.

“CAA takes any allegations of this nature severely, and thru counsel, promptly urged Ms Doe to contact regulation enforcement in the UK.”