Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose, two others, accused in lawsuit of rape

[August 28, 2015]  (Reuters) - Derrick Rose, the 2011 National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player, is being sued by a former girlfriend who alleges he and two friends drugged and gang-raped her in 2013.

Rose's accuser, identified only as Jane Doe, said she and the three-time All-Star Chicago Bulls guard dated from 2011 to 2013.

In August 2013, she said, Rose and two friends invited her to Rose's home in Beverly Hills, California, where they slipped a drug into her drink with the aim of raping her.

The woman said she escaped the house but that Rose and his friends broke into her apartment later that night and gang-raped her while she was incapacitated, it said.

Rose's accuser, who is seeking unspecified damages, said she waited for two years to file the suit because she was “ashamed and embarrassed” of what happened.
 

"I am just focusing on staying healthy and getting ready for the season," Rose, 26, said in a statement on Thursday. "I am not going to comment other than to say: I know the truth, and am confident I will be proven innocent."

The lawsuit was filed on Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

A spokeswoman for Rose said in a statement the "plaintiff’s allegations are completely false and without any factual basis."

"This is nothing more than a desperate attempt to shake down a highly respected and successful athlete," the statement said. "Mr. Rose was in a non-exclusive, consensual sexual relationship with the plaintiff for over two years."

"We have complete confidence that the case will be dismissed and that Mr. Rose will be vindicated. This lawsuit is outrageous."

Rose, who missed a portion of last season because of a knee injury, averaged 17.7 points, 4.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game in 51 games.

"We just learned about this matter and do not know all the facts," the Bulls said in a statement. "It would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."

(Reporting by Steve Ginsburg in Washington; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Peter Cooney)

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