Roethlisberger Accuser Offers to Drop Rape Charge
But QB's lawyers reject her demand for an apology
Updated 9:30 AM EDT, Wed, Sep 9, 2009
Super Bowl quarterback Ben Roethlisberger can make those ugly rape allegations go away, but the price may be too high.
The former Nevada casino worker who accused the Pittsburgh Steeler of sexually assaulting her in a Reno hotel room said through her lawyer she will drop her civil lawsuit if Roethlisberger acknowledges the rape and apologizes.
Reno-based attorney Cal Dunlap wrote in a letter to Roethlisberger's lawyers that his client would also like the quarterback to donate $100,000 to the Committee to Aid Abused Women, a Reno nonprofit organization that offers support to domestic violence victims.
Roethlisberger's lawyer, David Cornwell, said his client rejects the offer.
The woman, a VIP casino hostess, filed the civil suit against Roethlisberger in July, claiming he raped her in 2008 in a hotel penthouse across the street from a golf course where he was playing in a celebrity tournament. She said she reported the incident to security at Harrah's Lake Tahoe but never filed a criminal complaint because she feared Harrah's would side with Roethlisberger and she would be fired. Her suit seeks a minimum of $440,000 in damages from Roethlisberger, at least $50,000 in damages from the eight Harrah's officials named as defendants and an unspecified amount of punitive damages.
Roethlisberger, who denies the allegations, has made an offer of his own to his accuser. His attorneys said in an Aug. 19 settlement letter that if she drops the suit and apologizes, he won't sue her for "conspiracy to extort and defame" him.
Get more: Reno Gazette-Journal
First Published: Sep 9, 2009 8:17 AM EDT
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