Alleged Ribeiro sexual assault details revealed in court
Agent doesn’t believe allegations will affect client in free agency
The agent for Mike Ribeiro does not believe sexual assault allegations filed on Thursday should hurt his client in free agency.
In court documents, which were obtained by SB Nation, Ribeiro and his wife Tamara Williams were named defendants in a civil lawsuit that claims the Nashville Predators forward sexually assaulted the couple’s former nanny from 2007 to 2012.
The plaintiff, who is identified as a woman from Texas, was as young as 12 years old when she began working for the family.
According to the plaintiff’s first amended complaint, she accused Ribeiro of “staring at her with his hands down his pants many times,” “touching her backside while she was doing the dishes” and describes one disturbing scene where he physically assaulted her.
Ribeiro, who had been playing for the Dallas Stars when the alleged assault took place, and his wife have denied the accusations. In March, he and his wife filed an answer to the original complaint, when they asked the judge for a more definite statement for the case to continue.
That took place on Thursday. A discovery hearing has been set with a July 27 deadline.
For Ribeiro, who becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, the timing could be problematic. Although it is worth noting that Predators general manager David Poile was reportedly aware of these allegations when he signed Ribeiro to a one-year contract worth $1.05-million US last summer.
“We have been made aware of a complaint against Mike Ribeiro, dating back to his playing time while he was in Dallas,” the Predators said in a statement released in March. “Mike has indicated that the charge is without merit and is prepared to vigorously defend himself. We will allow the legal process to move forward without further comment.”
The 35- year- old Ribeiro is believed to be one of the top free agent forwards available this summer. He enjoyed a rebound year with the Predators in 201415, where he tied for 12th in the league with 47 assists and finished tied for 40th in scoring with 62 points.
“The only thing certain about free agency is the uncertainty. Pretty hard for me to predict,” said agent Don Meehan. “He had a very good year. Even before Mike signed in Nashville, David was certainly aware of these allegations. So this is nothing new.”