Oscar De La Hoya has been accused of sexual assault, according to multiple reports.
The Hall of Fame boxer-turned-promoter has been sued by a former employee of the tequila company Casa Mexico alleging De La Hoya, a partner in the firm, assaulted her two times in March 2020 at an event near the distillery in Mexico and then again in Los Angeles.
The woman, who was not identified, reportedly told Casa Mexico about De La Hoya’s actions but alleges that nothing was done.
The woman’s attorney, Sylvia Torres-Guillen, told the Los Angeles Times that her client “has been severely impacted.”
“As a survivor of this abuse, she wants others to know this behavior is unacceptable and it doesn’t matter who you are. We will seek justice on her behalf,” the attorney said.
De La Hoya denied any wrong doing. He told the Times in a statement:
“With the 24-hour news cycle we all find ourselves in, more often than not, malicious and unjust accusations are interpreted as truth without the evidence to support their erroneous claims. I am confident my legal team will resolve this matter and prove my innocence.”
The newspaper reported that the suit alleges De La Hoya went to the woman’s hotel room door “with his pants dropped down to his ankles, then pushed his way into the room, and got into her bed. She pushed him from the bed and walked him to his room, opened his door, and immediately returned to her own room.”
The woman said she went to De La Hoya’s room the following morning to wake him up after he failed to show up for a tour of the distillery. She said he then “pulled [her] into his bed, where he sexually assaulted her.”
She alleges that De La Hoya assaulted her one more time when a group of company executives visited his home Los Angeles.
“At some point, when De La Hoya was alone with [the woman], he revealed and retrieved a sexual object from a stored collection in his house. Without [her] consent, De La Hoya forcibly inserted the sexual object into [her] body,” the lawsuit contends.
The woman evidently didn’t come forward earlier because she feared retribution, according to the suit.
The civil suit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.