Oscar De La Hoya was denounced for mistreatment and attempted sexual abuse by a former employee of his Tequila brand

Oscar De La Hoya was accused of sexual assault, in a new lawsuit against the boxing legend and his tequila company.

A former Casa México employee accused De La Hoya of sexually assaulting her twice in March 2020 while visiting the brand's distillery in Mexico as part of an event organized by the company,

According to the civil lawsuit filed Wednesday in the Los Angeles Superior Court obtained by the Los Angeles Times and ESPN, the woman, who was not named by any of the media, informed Casa México executives about De La Hoya's actions, but the boxer was ultimately not sanctioned for his actions.

The woman, described by the Times as an executive of a tequila company, said in the complaint that she feared speaking out of fear of reprisals.

Sylvia Torres-Guillén, the women's lawyer, said in a statement to the Times that her client “has been seriously affected” by De La Hoya and the company's actions. “As a survivor of this abuse, you want others to know that this behavior is unacceptable, and it doesn't matter who you are,” Torres-Guillén said. “We will seek justice in his name.”

In his own statement to the Times, De La Hoya said he is “sure that my legal team will resolve this matter and prove my innocence” in the case.

“With the 24-hour news cycle that we all find ourselves in, most of the time, malicious and unfair accusations are interpreted as true without the evidence to support his erroneous claims,” the former boxer said.

The former Casa México employee reportedly claims that De La Hoya assaulted her for the first time on the first night of her trip to the brand's distillery in Mexico. The lawsuit says the incident began when De La Hoya knocked on the door of her hotel room, only for her to find him there supposedly “with his pants down to his ankles”.

De La Hoya supposedly “then shoved his way into the room and got into his bed.”

The second assault allegedly occurred the next day, after De La Hoya failed to show up for a scheduled tour of the distillery. When visiting his room to wake him up, the woman says that De La Hoya “pushed her into his bed, where he sexually assaulted her,” the Times reports.

After returning to Los Angeles, the woman allegedly visited De La Hoya's house after a company party held at a nearby restaurant. The woman reportedly claims that De La Hoya “revealed and recovered a sex object from a collection stored in her home” while the two were alone, before “forcibly inserting the sex object into her body”.

“The officers and partners of Casa México, almost exclusively men, including Michael A. Gooch, Robert Crossan and Oscar de la Hoya create a work environment that resulted in a tragic, humiliating, physically and emotionally damaging experience, both personally and professionally,” the lawsuit states.

Torres-Guillén told the Times that the lawsuit was filed “to hold accountable (De La Hoya) and those who perpetuate toxic masculinity and a hostile work environment where their abuse was not only tolerated, but encouraged and tolerated by Casa México executives Michael Gooch and Robert Crossan.”

The unidentified woman also reportedly accuses the retired boxer and his tequila company of gender discrimination, wrongful dismissal, and negligent and intentional imposition of emotional distress.

De La Hoya has previously been accused of sexual assault. In 1998, the former athlete settled a lawsuit filed by an 18-year-old woman seeking $10 million in damages alleging that De La Hoya raped and imprisoned her in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, according to the Times and USA Today.

KEEP READING