RENO, Nev. (AP) The woman who filed a lawsuit accusing Ben
Roethlisberger of raping her has quit her job at the Lake Tahoe
hotel-casino where she claims the assault occurred in the NFL
quarterback's penthouse room more than a year ago.
The woman had been working as a VIP host at Harrah's Lake Tahoe
in July 2008 when she alleges the two-time Super Bowl champ for the
Pittsburgh Steelers lured her to his room under false pretenses and
forced himself on her. He was in town playing in a celebrity golf
tournament.
Her lawyer, Cal Dunlap, said Friday she quit ''because of the
way Harrah's was treating her.'' He told The Associated Press he
can't go into detail.
Dunlap said the woman took several leaves of absence for medical
reasons in the months after the alleged incident, but returned to
work in March and had been there since.
Harrah's officials did not immediately return a telephone call
or e-mail seeking comment.
The woman filed the suit in Washoe District Court in Reno last
July.
Roethlisberger's lawyers asked the state Supreme Court to
overturn a ruling by a district judge denying their motion to move
the trial to Douglas County, closer to Lake Tahoe. No hearing has
been set for that request.
Last month, Judge Brent Adams also denied a motion to dismiss
the suit. It seeks a minimum of $440,000 in damages from
Roethlisberger and at least $50,000 in damages from Harrah's
officials who the woman claims conspired to cover up the incident.
Roethlisberger has denied the allegations and maintains the
woman acted voluntarily at all times while in his room.
(Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)