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Seattle Sounders forward Nate Jaqua has been slapped with a civil lawsuit accusing him of sexually assaulting a college student in Portland two years ago.
The $10 million lawsuit was filed on Tuesday, almost two years to the day when the accuser says Jaqua raped her in a cemetary.
This story first emerged on Thursday on various websites, and SBI was furnished with a copy of the criminal complaint on the same day. We won't get into the graphic details of the complaint (though you can find them elsewhere) but we were waiting for Jaqua to give his side of things, which is presented in the Seattle Times story linked above.
The lawsuit was filed a day ater Jaqua was named MLS player of the week for his two-goal performance in Seattle's 3-1 victory against Colorado. The timing was eerily similar to the timing surrounding a complaint against Seattle forward Fredy Montero, who was named MLS player of the month just before accusations that he stalked and assaulted a woman. Those accusations led to an investigation by Seattle police, but no charges were filed in the case.
goalscorer24
Seattle didn’t even have a team 2 years ago.
Must be something in that Seattle air!
As a Galaxy fan, I too felt raped whenever I watched Jacqua’s extremely poor performance for Los Angeles. Is it too late for me to sue as well?
CarlosT
That’s assuming such a crime actually happen. We don’t know what actually happened that’s the trouble.
If she reported it and what not and the DA declines to file charges and takes up in a civil case. If DA fines lack of evidence for criminal cases wouldn’t there be lack of evidence in a civil case.
It still didn’t mean it actually happen.
If she had to quit college and soccer cause of the rape why is she stating that the 4 knee surgeries was the reason why she quit soccer and college. It completely goes against what she claimed in the civil complaint document.
When one lies about one thing you have the right to question her credibility.
Right now its her word against Jaqua and Jaqua has evidence to back up his claim that it’s baseless she doesn’t as far as we know.
gstommylee, exactly right, that’s the point I’m making. If there were physical evidence, there would be a chance that she could get a criminal prosecution initiated. That no attempt was made to involve the authorities suggests to me that the physical evidence is non-existent, either because it’s gone or because it never was. Actually, even without physical evidence, she could have reported it, and then gone the civil route if the DA declined to file charges. For whatever reason, she’s chosen to avoid the criminal process completely and instead take up the issue in civil court.
As for my previous comment, the case would have been open and shut if she had immediately reported it and had the authorities collect the physical evidence the complaint claims was left. Had she done that, Jaqua would still be serving a prison term in Oregon right now.
JoeW. In the case of Firmpong all the physical evidence didn’t link to him on his supposed rape case and yet he got sentenced for 6 years. What does that tell you?.
I don’t like blaming the victum here, but it really sounds fishy to me. I really believe she is in it for the money. Some of these woman are using Rape as sword rather than a shield. Sadly there are woman who would use these protective rules to force there supposed attacker and try to get their money.
But if Jaqua did it, he deserves what he gets. If it’s all nothing, the woman should be sued to the hilt.
CarlosT
But here’s the thing even if there is a 6 year gap for statue of limitation for rape that still doesn’t mean the local proscuter’s office will actually press charges.
With it being a open and shut case that’s not necessary true. You can still file a police report and the allegations can still be bogus IE Montero’s case which the Alleged victim did file a police report and yet the local DA didn’t file charges.
The DA won’t file charges for rape unless its a sure thing. Unless more evidence other than non existing psychical evidence there is no way no one will file charges against Jaqua.
There is no record she even gone to a hospital after the alleged accident. Cause the hospital is required to report any rape case to the local police but here’s the thing there is no police record.
If such of an event happen there would be public records.
I seen and read the complaint she claims that she quit school and soccer based on the rape crime and yet based on what i heard she had 4 knee surgeries in a year.
JoeW, according to the account in the complaint, if she had gone to the police the prosecution would be dead easy. If what she said happened actually happened, then she’d have a mountain of physical evidence linking Jaqua to the crime. No prosecutor could have lost that case and he said/she said would never even be an issue. Jaqua’s being in the NW or not would make no difference, that’s what warrants and extradition are for. He’d have to have gone to a select few countries to avoid being picked up for something like that and I’m pretty sure that Austria isn’t one of them. If he was in the US at the time, that’s even less of an issue because state to state extradition is a routine thing. The only cases you ever have any issue at all with that is if the apprehending jurisdiction wants to prosecute the suspect on crimes committed there before sending him on to the state that posted the warrant. In any case, wherever he was, Jaqua wouldn’t be hard to find, considering he does his job in public, in front of thousands of people. So I don’t see a lot of good reasons why not to report this. That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen because rape is severely underreported, but had she reported it, it would have been an open and shut case. Actually, that option is open to her even now, because the statute of limitations on rape in Oregon is six years, so if she wanted to go to the police with this she could still do so. The fact that she didn’t makes me think that the physical evidence, if there ever was any, is long gone.
As for including MLS, the Galaxy, and the Dynamo, that hasn’t a wisp of a prayer. She’d only be able to recover from them if Jaqua had raped her for their benefit or in the course of performing his duties for them. So unless Garber wrote Jaqua a memo telling him to go and rape someone, or whichever team he included rape as part of its training program, those claims are dead in the water.
JoeW
Here’s the thing if such a event happen why get MLS and the named teams into the case when they have nothing to do with the alleged case.
Doesn’t matter if its a criminal case or civil case you still need to show evidence.
Don’t assume things based on what ifs.
What we do know she nor anyone of the family file police reports (provable) She did not work with the local Violent crime (provable). She didn’t go to the hospital to revice threatment cause the hospital is required to report all rape cases to the authorities. She did not attempt to even try to get charges brought(provable)
Everything has a republic record tied to it if there is no public record stating that she did then we have the right to question her credibility. The only public record involve this case was the lawsuit.
Jaqua’s lawyer as well as his parents stated that no one contacted him or his family (see the seattle times article on this case) from the Local police department, DA office, from her and her lawyer and Jaqua and his parents can testify oh and there would also be public records if Jaqua or his family were ever contacted
The Fact is that she waited 2 years after it allegedly happen which means there are no physical evidence that even still exists (even by a chance it did happen) and files the lawsuit one day before the statue of limitations goes into effect for her to even be able to demand money.
Jaqua came back into the US and signed a one year deal with Huston Dymano in condition they’ll leave him unprotected for the Sounders FC 2008 expansion draft.
The defense could argue since the alleged victim knows Jaqua is a pro soccer player which is provable and can argue that she is using Jaqua’s status to extort money from him and MLS. (and 10m dollars is a rather large sum to be asking in damages)
Did this happen no one knows. She needs to have evidence to argue that she is not doing this for money. The Defense could arguing that she is frying foul to extort money which in itself is a crime. (IMO based on what i have read so far can be proven) She’s better off not getting MLS involved which makes it a great chance of it being extortion.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
I think the truth about this matter is….right now we don’t know the truth.
1. Yeah, she didn’t file criminal charges. Most rape victims never file criminal charges. So the fact that she didn’t press charges 2 years ago proves nothing.
2. Yeah, it’s a civil case. Good reason why that’s so–the burden of proof is a lot less. Instead of a beyond a reasonable doubt, the victim in this case just needs to prove more (if you want numbers, think at least 51%) on her side. And that’s important in rape where it’s often a he said-she said among people who know each other.
3. I can’t believe how many people think this is a gold-digger: what absolute fools those comments are. The woman in this case is a former college soccer player. If you play college soccer in the US, you KNOW that this is not a lucrative sport in this country.
The claim in the suit is that the woman and some of her teammates were listening to Jaqua talk about the differences between pro and college soccer. She will likely be able to produce witnesses that show Jaqua was there, that she went to walk home and whether or not he insisted on joining her (that’s her claim), that shortly afterwards she left the team, and probably friends and family that will show major personality changes. We’ll see if there is any physical evidence or not.
I have no idea if Jaqua had sex (consensual or forced) with this woman. I will tell you this: the claims (as they’ve been put out there) sound pretty darn bad and a lot more persuasive than some of you seem to acknowledge. There are pretty good reasons why the woman wouldn’t report it as a crime right away and why she’d act now (Jaqua wasn’t in the NW then, in fact shortly about this time he tried to sign with a club in Europe and resisted offers to sign in MLS).
Again, I have no idea if this happened or not. And absent physical evidence, it’s probably a tough case (even if civil) to prove Jaqua is guilty. They can probably prove something very traumatic happened to this woman and probably prove that Jaqua left with her. But it’s probably then his word against her word. And again, that’s why most rapes don’t get prosecuted.
Don’t assume anything here just cause this person claims something happen doesn’t mean it did. Even if she filed a police report 2 years ago it still doesn’t mean charges would have been brought.
Hahaha yes, I realize this is a serious issue and sexual assault is nothing to laugh at but damn, can’t the Sounders keep it in their pants?!?! Hahaha, wow.
If someone makes similar accusations against Ljunberg soon, Seattle will be able to brag about having an all sexual assault front line. Yes, that was in poor taste, but seriously, these accusations are getting pretty ridiculous too.
When someone brings false charges against someone and it is proven that they did, they should go to jail for a minimum of five years. It seems like these charges are being brought all of the time and the person making the accusations doesn’t seem to suffer any consequences. It’s like free attempts at destroying someone or getting money from them. It’s a wonder there isn’t an epidemic of this type of thing. I also think they should dismiss any charges immediately when the person making them has delayed making the charges for years. What’s that all about? Does it seem like Jaqua may have some more money now, is that what changed in two years?
ahahaa
classic. GRE keeper kicked the ball directly at the back of the head of his midfielder. ahaaa
poor guy not his fault goalie has horrible aim
the reason she named mls, dynamo, galaxy etc is because they DO have 10 million dollars. If she named Jaqua only, she’s not getting much. Now at least she has a possibility for a larger win/settlement. That said, I bet MLS dynamo, galaxy get removed from the suit if it goes forward.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Most likely there will be no physical evidence, it appears there were no witnesses to the event itself. She admits knowing he was a professional athlete so the defense will say this is a money grab, she saw who he was and went after him.
kpugs,
you met Jaqua?
I have to be honest…this doesn’t surprise me at all. He is one of the biggest buttholes on earth.
If the girl thought she deserved justice, this would have gone to the criminal courts and Jaqua would be facing jailtime. She decided to go the route that would make her a profit. There’s a name for that.
Alright, people like Danny that are trying to be soooo open minded. Look at the red flags. Two years. No complaints prior to now. 10 million dollars! She isn’t filing a criminal case, trying to put him in jail. She is immediately going for money. The Montero case had a little bit more validity. However, most likely was a similar case. Remember that these guys are not perfect, but they don’t have to force themselves on women to get what they want. Maybe, they believe they should get what they want no matter what. That would be the only viable scenerio. The more likely scenerio is someone salivating about the money that is possible.
The fact that she is seeking $10,000,000 from an MLS player not named Beckham suggests that she is delusional….
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/sports/16500132-41/story.csp
She’s not anonymous since it’s a civil case…
It’s too bad Jaqua isn’t afforded the same anonymity rights the accuser is spared till a verdict… especially if he is innocent.
Danny–Thanks for your reasonable post. I agree that we should wait until all the details are out and a verdict given before giving our own verdicts. But there is no doubt a disturbing trend among sports fans to automatically assume that the woman in these cases is just out for money or fame.
Would you assume an adult coming forward with allegations against his childhood priest is “just in it for the money”?
Ives, nothing good is going to come from discussing this or the Frimpong cases. Men are probably a bit uneasy in feeling taken advantage of in these high profile rape cases of recent, but also don’t want to sound “un-PC” at the same time, be that even anonymously on the internet. Again, nothing good can come from discussing this. Just my 2 cents.
Nobody posting on SBI knows the people involved or the particulars of the case, so it’s silly to make judgments about Jaqua’s character or that of his accuser. While I appreciate the desire for news of all things soccer, frankly I’d prefer news like this not get posted until a verdict has been rendered in a court of law. The rest of us really have no business speculating on a case we know nothing about.
bull f’n crap….if it was true and she wanted justice she would have taken this to criminal court. He should counter sue for slander and defamation of character. You got ppl fasley crying rape and slipping on banana peels getting thosands (if not millions) and here i am busting my but the old fashioned way like an idiot…God bless america
im with you all the way Nate
I don’t see how she has any claim on MLS.
Excellent balance in reporting Ives.
Interesting that she has also filed against the Galaxy, Dynamo and MLS in this suit. Also intriguing is that the suit is filed in a week where Jaqua returned to OR for competitive play maximizing the coverage of her allegations.
I love how whenever a female reports a sexual assault that the first instinct for everyone is “she must want some money”.
Some 80%+ of all sexual assaults go unreported. Then when someone has the courage to report then the victim goes on trial. Great.
Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but in a civil suit the standard is “preponderance” of the evidence, not “beyond reasonable doubt”. That should mean we cut the young lady some slack.
Just as much as we want to assume someone is innocent until proven guilty we should also assume the alleged victim is innocent of any kind of wrongdoing.
Someone plainly does not realize MLS players are not in the NBA, NFL or MLB …
ps. ditto on the Frimpong not being white, ag
What is it with these poor Sounders…1st Montero and now Jaqua (OK I know it was when he was playing with Houston or Chicago) but still what took so long for the lawsuit…more goldiggers I guess? Why don’t these babes pick on players from other sports and leave MLS alone. BTW that story on Frimpong was fascinating and I hope he gets a reprieve very soon. Law enforcement is obviously in the wrong on that one. If Eric was white and middle class or upper class this would have never gone to trial. Very sad…
True or not, the fact that her first action about it is asking for $10 million the day before a statute of limitations about money expires is fishy.
And Landon, please…
Yeah, I do not support sexual assault in any way (when it gets down to it, I doubt anyone really does). However, the timing of the complaint, and the fact that this girl waited 2 years to bring this to civil court, without filing any criminal charges with the police at the time of the incident or now, makes this once again extremely questionable. I’m sure all the Seattle haters will be on here saying how the Sounders are all rapists or something like that. Its just getting ridiculous. The fact that she’s suing the MLS as well as his former teams should raise flags to every MLS fan how this sort of libel is really getting out of hand.