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Michael DiRocco, ESPN Staff WriterSep 6, 2024, 04:13 PM ET
- Michael DiRocco is an NFL reporter at ESPN. DiRocco covers the Jacksonville Jaguars. He previously covered the University of Florida for over a decade for ESPN.com and Florida Times-Union. DiRocco graduated from Jacksonville University and is a multiple APSE award winner. You can follow DiRocco on Twitter at @ESPNdirocco.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Two women have now attached their names to their lawsuit against former Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Brandon McManus and the Jaguars that claims he sexually assaulted them on the team’s overseas trip to London in 2023, according to court documents obtained by ESPN.
Daisy Torres and Nicole Anderson refiled the lawsuit Friday afternoon, three days after a circuit court judge in Florida dismissed their previously amended lawsuit by ruling that, per Florida law, the use of pseudonyms Jane Doe I and Jane Doe II did not meet the “exceptional case” criteria required to warrant anonymity.
Judge Michael S. Sharrit wrote that “fairness requires Plaintiffs be prepared to stand behind their charges publicly in the same way Defendant McManus must openly refute them.”
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Torres and Anderson, who were flight attendants for the chartered airline the Jaguars used on their trip to London last September, had 10 days to file an amended complaint using proper name identification.
On Thursday morning, McManus’ attorney, Brett Gallaway, filed a request for admissions, which asks the other party to either deny or admit to certain actions, statements or documents. In that filing, Gallaway claims the women made sexually explicit social media posts, used a racial slur, had previous sexual relationships with NFL players while working, had an addiction to drugs and drank on the job, among other things.
“Since the inception of this case, we have maintained that this is a classic shakedown premised on fictitious claims brought by serial extortionists with questionable credibility and counsel that prefers litigating his cases in the media rather than a courtroom,” Gallaway said in a statement. “Nothing about this re-filing changes our position that this is a pure smear campaign. Brandon does not know these two women and vehemently denies ever engaging in the alleged conduct. Now that the names of the plaintiffs are public, we look forward to what we anticipate will be dispositive discovery and deposition testimony ultimately resulting in Brandon’s full exoneration.”
Torres and Anderson first filed a lawsuit May 28 in Duval County Circuit Civil Court, accusing McManus of sexually assaulting them on the Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings chartered flight.
The lawsuit accused McManus of getting drunk and grinding against them multiple times and of trying to kiss Torres. It also accused the Jaguars of failing to supervise McManus, failing to create a safe environment for staff serving the team, ignoring NFL rules regarding alcohol and drugs on team flights and telling the flight attendants to ignore FAA rules.
Torres and Anderson are seeking more than $1 million and demanding a jury trial.
