Cowboys' Dak Prescott Won't Face Criminal Charges amid Sexual Assault Lawsuit
May 2, 2024
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will not face criminal charges in Dallas after being accused of sexual assault, according to WFAA's Paul Livengood, Ryan Osborne and Rebecca Lopez.
"Detectives determined there was insufficient evidence an offense was committed," the Dallas Police said in a statement, according to Fox 4.
The woman accusing Prescott filed a police report in March regarding an alleged sexual assault in 2017.
The accuser then filed a countersuit, which was moved to the same county as Prescott's in April.
Yoel Zehaie, attorney for the woman who filed the police report, said in a statement to Fox 4: "We thank DPD for their efforts and this is in no way an exoneration of Mr. Prescott."
In a statement provided to Livengood, Osborne and Lopez, Prescott's attorney Levi McCathern said their team intends on further legal action.
"Now that Dallas County has rightfully closed its investigation into the Defendants' false allegations regarding Mr. Prescott, we intend on promptly filing claims against the Defendants for malicious prosecution," McCathern wrote.
As part of the investigation, Prescott submitted to an interview with the police at the Dallas Police Department headquarters in April, Clarence E. Hill Jr. reported for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Now focus will turn to the extortion lawsuit regarding a letter Prescott received in January, which alleged that Prescott committed sexual assault in the back seat of a car parked outside a Dallas strip club in 2017.
The letter offered to "forego pursuing criminal charges" in exchange for $100 million in damages, per NBC Sports' Mike Florio. The lawsuit argues that this letter constituted extortion, as well as defamation and slander, Florio reported.
The alleged victim filed a motion to dismiss this extortion suit on Monday, according to Livengood, Osborne and Lopez.
The motion to dismiss cited the Texas Citizens Participation Act. This legislation allows defendants to ask courts to dismiss Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) suits, also known as intimidation lawsuits, if they believe a lawsuit violated their First Amendment rights by blocking their ability to petition the government for help.
Prescott's attorneys will now have to provide "clear and specific evidence" behind the extortion claim or risk his case being thrown out, Florio noted.