Mike Tyson is once again in the sights of justice. The former American boxing champion is accused by a woman, who filed a civil complaint, of having raped her in a limousine in the early 1990s near New York.
The man who was considered one of the best heavyweights of all time had already been found guilty in 1992 of raping model Desiree Washington, 18 at the time of the events. He then spent three years behind bars.
A new law to avoid prescription
Thirty years later, a woman, who insisted on remaining anonymous in the procedure because she fears being “attacked by the media and all the fans” of Mike Tyson, filed a complaint for “rape” in early January before a Albany County Civil Court. She is claiming $5 million in damages.
The procedure is made possible by a New York State law that came into effect at the end of November and allows, for one year, victims of sexual assault to claim a civil trial without fear of prescription.
Consequences for years
In a brief testimony dated December 23, 2022 and attached to the proceedings, the complainant claims to have met the boxer “in the early 1990s” in a nightclub, then to have followed him in his limousine, where he would have assaulted her before rape her. She reports physical and especially psychological after-effects that have dogged her for years.
Born in Brooklyn in 1966, Mike Tyson enjoyed a childhood and teenage years as a petty criminal before becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion in the 1980s, terrifying his opponents with his in-ring fury and phenomenal punching power. But after prison, Mike Tyson failed to keep his titles, beaten in particular in 1996 by Evander Holyfield, during a memorable match where he bit his opponent’s ears until he bled. In the grip of depression and addictions, he continued to make people talk about him, notably playing in a one-man-show where he recounts his ups and downs. In November 2020, he returned to the ring, at 54, against Roy Jones Jr (51), with a draw.