Amid her breakup with Tiger Woods, Erica Herman asked for a court to void a non-disclosure agreement she signed when they first began dating in 2017. She cited a law that allows NDAs to be nullified in cases of sexual assault.
Now, court documents related to the lawsuit she filed just after their split in October have surfaced and were obtained by PEOPLE on Wednesday.
In the filing, a defendant — Jupiter Island Irrevocable Homestead Trust — asks for Herman’s lawsuit to be heard before an arbitrator. In her claims, Herman says she had an oral agreement with the trust that allowed her to live at Woods’ home for another five years.
Lawyers for the trust argue that Herman was only allowed to live in the home while she was dating Woods. The 47-year-old athlete currently lives at the estate with his two children, whom he shares with his ex-wife Elin Nordegren. Herman was told she had to move out after Woods ended their relationship back in October.
“Ms. Herman responded to the breakup by filing this lawsuit,” the lawyers said. Herman claims she’s owed $30 million after the oral agreement was breached when the trust’s employees “locked her out of the Residence, removed her personal belongings, and informed her she could not return.” Herman also said that she had more than $40,000 in cash that was “misappropriated.”
Herman is suing for consequential monetary damages, injunctive relief, and attorneys’ fees under the Florida Residential Landlord Tenant Act, per the court documents.
Tiger Woods is pushing for the claims to be heard by an arbitrator, who he hopes will determine that Herman never had an oral agreement over the home, and that she’s not owed any damages.
The trust’s attorneys also filed a motion to stay proceedings until the arbitration argument is settled. They attached a redacted version of the NDA that said arbitration was required for any issues between Herman and Woods. The now-exes both signed the agreement on Aug. 9, 2017.
In her own filing, Herman claims that the NDA should be voided, citing the Speak Out Act, which protects victims of sexual assault or harassment.
The documents state that Tiger Woods and Herman “had a long relationship” that was both professional and personal. Herman claims she is “currently unsure what other information about her own life she may discuss or with whom,” the complaint states.