Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz paid underage ballerina for sex: civil suit

Edmonton Oilers proprietor Daryl Katz is denying ever paying an underage ballerina $75,000 for “sexual favours,” as was alleged in a civil swimsuit filed earlier this month in Nevada.

The lawsuit is a counterclaim filed by a distinguished ballerina and her husband, Dusty and Mitchell Button, in response to allegations they dedicated sexual offences in opposition to younger dancers beneath their wing.

The Buttons as an alternative argue they’re the victims of a coordinated assault meant to damage their status, and allege that Sage Humphries, the preliminary complainant, was trafficked by her personal mother and father to older males, together with billionaire Katz.

Within the court docket doc, the couple’s legal professionals name Humphries a sufferer of statutory rape and say, “If Sage is actually the broken flower she claims to be, the worth needs to be paid – nevertheless it needs to be paid by those that truly engaged in unlawful acts together with her.”

The allegations are largely unsubstantiated within the declare and stay untested in court docket.

BACKGROUND

In line with the court docket paperwork, Humphries initially filed a grievance in opposition to Mitchell Button (who can be identified by his center identify, Taylor) within the late summer time of 2021, later including Dusty Button as a defendant and several other different dancers as complainants.

Dusty, having educated on the American Ballet Theatre in New York and the Royal Ballet College in London, joined the Boston Ballet in 2012, and was quickly promoted to principal dancer, the counterclaim lays out. Previous to the allegations, she had amassed a web based following of a number of tons of of hundreds due to high-profile media consideration and being named Purple Bull’s first ballerina athlete.

Her husband is a former ballet teacher who pivoted to managing his spouse’s profession and designing and constructing customized vehicles.

In a May Good Morning America interview, Humphries reiterated the allegation in opposition to Mitchell Button: after gaining management over various facets of the younger dancer’s life beneath the pretence of managing her, she says he “violated” her for the primary time throughout a film evening.

Of their counterclaim, filed July 8, the Buttons as an alternative say that they had a “consensual ‘throuple’ sexual relationship” with Humphries after she turned 18, which she initiated.

“The connection between Sage and the Buttons appeared, on the time, to be one in every of mutual love, affection, and respect,” the counterclaim reads.

It additionally says Humphries “fabricated accounts of abuse and shopped them to the press as a way to achieve her personal highlight of consideration and false victimhood to additional her floundering dance profession.”

She and 6 different complainants “filed this case for the precise objective of destroying the reputations of Dusty within the dance world and Mitchell within the automobile business,” the declare continues.

The Buttons additionally allege Humphries’ mother and father “insisted” she dwell with them to economize, and knew and authorized of the dancer’s advances on the married couple believing it could be useful to her profession.

The court docket doc paints Humphries’ mother and father as fame- and money-hungry manipulators who helped their daughter launder $75,000 paid to her by Katz.

ALLEGATIONS INVOLVING KATZ

The Buttons allege Katz was solely one in every of a number of older males who had a sexual relationship eight years in the past with Humphries, then 17. Katz is the one individual they accuse of paying Humphries as a prostitute.

Filed with the counterclaim had been undated screenshots of textual content messages supposedly between Humphries and Katz.

A contact referred to as “D Ok” with a 780 space code – the phone code mostly utilized in northern Alberta – writes that an account with “25K” has been opened.

“I additionally advised them to get you debit card and put some money on it OR you will not purchase your self something…..which I would like you to do,” D Ok texted.

In one other textual content, D Ok asks, “If my guys ship u funds will u spend it on/maintain it for your self?”

Undated screenshots of textual content messages supposedly between Humphries and Katz. (Courtroom paperwork)

When Humphries – the Buttons allege – guarantees to maintain it, D Ok asks her to maintain the change non-public as a result of “regardless that u r clever past your years given our respective ages it could be taken the fallacious means.”

Humphries replies, “Sure .. Simply between us,” and D Ok texts again, “OK may have one in every of my guys e mail u. He’ll ship you 50K.”

Katz – who the counterclaim says was 53 years previous when he paid Humphries – is now 61 years previous.

His lawyer, Robert Klieger, on Thursday mentioned the NHL staff proprietor denies the allegations, ever having a sexual relationship of any form with Humphries, and ever assembly the Buttons.

“Critically, the allegations in opposition to Mr. Katz aren’t being made by Ms. Humphries. The accusations are as an alternative being made by the Buttons, who Ms. Humphries and 6 different ladies have accused of exploiting their place of energy and affect within the dance world to sexually abuse younger dancers throughout the nation,” Klieger mentioned in a press release.

“Their false accusations in opposition to him are a clear and pathetic try to distract consideration from the abhorrent acts with which they stand charged.”

His staff didn’t handle the texts Katz allegedly despatched Humphries.

Of the messages, Humphries’ lawyer told NBC News on Thursday, “I can’t say whether or not they’re official at this level.”

Sigrid McCawley mentioned Humphries and Katz had a “enterprise relationship,” not a sexual one.

The 2 “had been discussing film tasks and that the dancer may need obtained cash from the NHL government in connection to that proposed enterprise deal,” she advised NBC Information.

BUTTONS WANT DAMAGES

The Buttons don’t say within the counterclaim how they obtained the texts or how they got here to imagine the cash was paid as compensation for “sexual favours,” as they allege of their counterclaim.

They’re asking to be compensated as their reputations have been “unjustly ruined.”

Their lawyer Marc Randazza denied CTV Edmonton’s request for an interview and extra data, writing, “We aren’t thinking about attempting this matter within the press.”

Randazza calls himself a “first modification legal professional” and is called a commentator on Infowars and for representing Alex Jones, the conspiracy theorist who owns this system.

The Humphries’ lawyer, Sigrid McCawley, mentioned in a press release to CTV Information that the Buttons counterclaim “distract and warp the reality.”

“The counterclaims the Buttons have filed falsely and recklessly implicate others, together with Daryl Katz, and are a factually unfounded try to painting the ladies they abused as liars,” McCawley mentioned. “The ladies I characterize who’ve bravely come ahead are telling the reality. We’re assured the Buttons shall be held accountable.”

Within the spring, Humphries advised Good Morning America she had returned to the Boston Ballet, which she joined in 2017. 

In a press release to CTV Information, an NHL spokesperson mentioned: “We grew to become conscious this week of the civil lawsuit through which Mr. Katz is known as as a 3rd occasion by the defendants within the lawsuit. Mr. Katz has suggested us that he categorically denies the allegations. We’re within the means of wanting into the matter.”