Tiger Woods' ex-girlfriend Erica Herman claims the golf superstar made her sign a nondisclosure agreement during their long-term relationship and is now taking him to court in an attempt to nullify it, citing laws that apply to cases of sexual harassment or assault.
Herman filed suit against Woods in the Martin County Florida Court Monday, alleging that Woods had her sign an NDA in 2017, during a period of time when she was working for him.
She now claims the NDA is null, arguing she should be freed by the Speak Out Act, a congressional bill signed into law in December 2022 that prohibits NDAs to be enforced in cases of sexual harassment or assault.
"The Plaintiff believes that the Woods NDA is invalid and unenforceable," Herman's complaint reads, adding that the "uncertainty" of whether it is enforceable "is acute and important," the complaint states.
Herman claims the NDA is not enforceable, whereas Woods claims that it is.
According to the complaint, Herman is not clear on what she can talk about, including "various legal claims she believes she has."
Herman is asking the court to determine the enforceability of the NDA.
If it is enforceable, she has requested the court lay out clear guidelines on what she can and cannot disclose. If not, she wants to see if a court will declare it is unenforceable under the Speak Out Act.
Herman and Woods' relationship first became public in 2017, when she appeared with Woods at the Presidents' Cup, where Woods was serving as an assistant captain for Team USA. Herman had worked as the general manager at Woods' restaurant in Jupiter, Florida.
In the years following, Herman was a steady presence by Woods' side during many of his public appearances.
Herman celebrated with Woods just off the 18th green at Augusta National after he won the 2019 Masters, and also helped Woods through recovery after his car accident in early 2021.
It is unclear when the couple broke up.
Woods last competed on the PGA Tour at the 2023 Genesis Invitational in February, a tournament which he hosts. Herman did not appear to be present at the event.
This is not the first time that Woods has had the NDA of an ex-girlfriend head to court. In 2018, TMZ reported that Woods' ex Kristin Smith, whom Woods had dated before his relationship with Herman, had gone to arbitration over a non-disclosure agreement.