A federal jury in Los Angeles found New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose not liable Wednesday in a civil suit that accused him and two friends of rape. Ryan Allen and Randall Hampton, the two friends, were also cleared.
The suit accused Rose, Allen and Hampton of breaking into the home of a Los Angeles woman. The alleged victim, a former girlfriend of Rose, had sued for $21 million, according to the Los Angeles Times. Rose, a former NBA MVP and Rookie of the year, testified during the trial as reported in the Times.
"Contradicting the woman's claim that she became severely intoxicated and 'blacked out' while drinking with the three men the evening before the alleged rape, Rose said the woman appeared lucid at the Beverly Hills house he was renting. He described how the woman, whom he had dated casually for two years, made repeated sexual advances toward him and eventually initiated sex with Hampton and him. "Several hours later, when the woman had gone home, Rose claimed she agreed to have the three men come to her apartment, let them in and willingly had sex with each of them in turn. "The woman testified that she believes the men slipped an unnamed drug into one of her drinks and that she has only 'flashes' of memory of what occurred at Rose's house and in her apartment. She told jurors that she passed out in her bed and awoke to find the men in her room having sex with her."
Neither side denied Rose, Allen and Hampton had sex with the woman. At issue was whether she was too intoxicated to consent.
The three men have been friends since childhood in Chicago. Both Allen and Hampton work for Rose.
Criminal charges have not been filed but a Los Angeles Police investigation is still pending. In a strange twist, LA police detective Nadine Hernandez, one of the officers investigating the potential criminal case against Rose, Allen, and Hampton, was killed last week, as reported by member station KPCC.
Rose, once a top draft pick, was traded by his hometown Chicago Bulls earlier this year to the New York Knicks. Rose has been plagued by knee problems for years, though last year he was free of injuries. In 2016-2017 season, Rose is expected to make $21 million.
"I am thankful that the jury understood and agreed with me." Rose said in a statement to the Associated Press, "This experience and my sensitivity to it was deep. I am ready to put this behind me and focus on my family and career."
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