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Foreman, 73, has denied the allegations since they first became
public last month and spokespeople referred questions about the
lawsuits to his earlier statement.
The women filed separate lawsuits under the pseudonyms Gwen H.
and Denise F. in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday.
Both women, now in their early 60s, say they first met Foreman
as children because their fathers were boxing associates of
Foreman.
Denise, a Los Angeles resident, accused Foreman of grooming her
when she was 8 years old and having sex with her when she was
15, in one instance in a San Francisco hotel room, her lawsuit
says.
Gwen, a Nevada resident, said she first met Foreman when she was
9, and accused him of sexually abusing and raping her when she
15 and 16 years old, including at an apartment in Beverly Hills.
She said Foreman told her her father would lose his job as a
boxing adviser if she did not comply.
Foreman called the allegations false and baseless.
"Over the past six months, two women have been trying to extort
millions of dollars each from me and my family," his statement
said. "I don't pick fights, but I don't run away from them
either."
Foreman is referred to as DOE 1 in the lawsuits, but described
in them as the professional boxer who defeated Joe Frazier in
1973 to become the heavyweight champion of the world before
losing the title to Muhammad Ali in 1974.
Foreman has since become well known as an entrepreneur selling
an electric grilling machine that bears his name.
The lawsuits were filed as the result of a California law that
went into effect in 2020 that temporarily waives the statute of
limitations that had prevented victims of childhood sexual abuse
from filing civil lawsuits.
Both women are seeking a jury trial and to be awarded an
unspecified amount in damages.
(Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York and Brendan O'Brien in
Chicago; Additional reporting by Nate Raymond; Editing by
Rosalba O'Brien)
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