Woman Says NFL Stars Sexually Abused Her

DENVER (CN) - A state judge will allow a woman to sue Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and former Broncos cornerback Perrish Cox anonymously, in a complaint for "sexual assault and battery, sexual abuse, unlawful sexual penetration, pregnancy, and other highly sensitive matters."

Jane Doe filed a motion this week for leave to file the complaint anonymously, and Denver City and County Judge Christina Habas approved the request the next day.

"The complaint that plaintiff desires to file anonymously involves allegations of, inter alia, sexual assault and battery, sexual abuse, unlawful sexual penetration, pregnancy, and other highly sensitive matters," Jane Does said in her motion.

"The defendants have actual knowledge of the true identity of the plaintiff," and she "has a substantial privacy right that outweighs the customary openness in judicial proceedings," Doe said in her filing.

"Given the status of the defendants this matter is likely to receive national media attention. Prior media coverage regarding a criminal trial involving Perrish Cox included multiple national and local media outlets," Doe said.

She said that if her identity is revealed, "she is likely to receive significant harassment, stereotyping and stigma as a result of the incident," which will "exacerbate the emotional impact and increase the amount of stress, anxiety, emotional distress and damage that she will sustain."

Denver attorney Harvey Steinberg, who represented Cox in the criminal trial, told Courthouse News in an interview that he hadn't heard about the petition and did not know if he would represent Cox if a civil suit comes.

Jane Doe asked the court for a gag order on the defendants and anyone acting on their behalf, to prevent them from revealing her identity.

Cox was acquitted in a criminal trial in March of two felony charges of sexual assault stemming from the 2010 encounter. While the alleged victim testified in the criminal trial, her identity remained anonymous.

Jane Doe is represented by Douglas Norberg with Gelman & Norberg, of Greenwood Village.

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