Former world boxing champion Mike Tyson faces a new rape trial.
According to court documents released on Tuesday (local time), a woman from the US state of New York filed a lawsuit against the 56-year-old for allegedly raping her in a limousine in the early 1990s. The plaintiff is demanding five million dollars (almost 4.6 million euros) from Tyson in compensation, her identity has not been made public.
The woman filed the lawsuit in an Albany County court in early January, according to the documents. She used a new law in the state of New York that allows alleged rape victims for one year to sue alleged perpetrators in civil proceedings for damages, regardless of the statute of limitations. The plaintiff asked to remain anonymous because she said she feared she would “be attacked by the media and all the[Tyson’s]fans” if she did not.
Plaintiff demands five million dollars
The plaintiff told the court that she met Tyson in a nightclub in the early 1990s. She followed him to his limousine, where he attacked and raped her. According to the plaintiff, she suffered “physical, psychological and emotional pain” from which she still suffers today. Tyson should therefore pay five million dollars in compensation. The ex-boxing world champion did not initially respond to the allegations.
Tyson was born in 1966 in Brooklyn, New York. After a difficult childhood and youth as a petty criminal, he rose to become one of the best heavyweight boxers in history in the 1980s. He was notorious among his opponents for his hard punches and outbursts of anger. In a fight in 1996, he bit off a piece of his opponent Evander Holyfield’s ear.
Outside of the boxing ring, Tyson has repeatedly made negative headlines. In 1992 he was sentenced to six years in prison for raping then 18-year-old Miss Black America contestant Desiree Washington; the last three years of imprisonment were suspended.
In 1999, he was sentenced to one year in prison for assaulting those involved in a traffic accident. After four months, Tyson was allowed to leave prison and serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest. Tyson made headlines again last April when he reportedly punched a young man in the face multiple times on a plane. However, no charges were brought in this case.
Recently, Tyson, who says he suffered from depression and drug addiction throughout his life, has entered the cannabis industry with his own brand. There is also a podcast with him.
Source-news.google.com