LOS ANGELES – A woman is suing former Los Angeles Lakers player and coach Byron Scott, accusing him of sexually assaulting her during a team event at her high school in 1987, when he was 26 and she was 15.
The lawsuit first filed in December 2022 and amended on May 1 accuses Scott of sexual battery and false imprisonment. Scott, 64, fought to have his name removed from court documents, but a judge denied his request to be identified only as “John Doe." The updated complaint named him publicly for the first time.
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During a visit from the Lakers, the alleged victim was attending summer classes at Campbell Hall High in Los Angeles when “she was sexually assaulted by Byron Scott in a locked janitor's closet in the high school gymnasium," according to the court filing. Scott was a Lakers player at the time.
The lawsuit was filed in 2022 under a California law that temporarily allowed older cases to be filed for underage plaintiffs. That law required the defendant to remain anonymous until certain thresholds were crossed.
Scott's attorney, Linda Bauermeister, said her client doesn't deny that sexual contact occurred, but maintains he thought the girl was of legal age.
“Our client is devastated by this complaint," Bauermeister said in a statement Wednesday. "Our client believed the plaintiff to be over 18 and had no idea she would claim otherwise until 35 years later. He respects girls and women, and the claims have blindsided him and his family.”
Scott was married to his first wife, Anita Scott, at the time of the alleged assault. They had three children and divorced in 2014.
The lawsuit said the alleged assault occurred in the summer of 1987 when the Lakers were at the school to film an instructional basketball video in the gym and meet with students, parents and faculty members.
A judge ruled last August that Scott could be identified, and last week the plaintiffs’ attorneys filed the amended complaint naming him.
The suit also names Campbell Hall High, accusing school officials of negligence for failing to protect the girl. It demands a trial by jury and over $25,000 for damages including loss of earnings and attorney fees to be paid by Scott and the school. A message was sent Wednesday to school officials seeking comment on the lawsuit.
Scott, a shooting guard, won NBA championships in 1985, 1987 and 1988 as part of the Lakers’ “Showtime” era. He led the team in scoring with a career-best 21.7 points in 1987-88.
Scott also played for the Indiana Pacers and then-Vancouver Grizzlies before returning to the Lakers for the 1996-97 season, his last as a player in the league. He was a valued mentor for a team that featured Shaquille O’Neal and 18-year-old rookie Kobe Bryant. Scott later was Bryant’s head coach with the Lakers.
He coached in the NBA from 1998 to 2016, including a head stint with the Lakers. He's currently coaching in the Philippines.
Scott is currently married to Cece Gutierrez, who has appeared on the “Basketball Wives” reality show.
The AP generally does not name victims of alleged sexual assault.