Katz' name withdrawn from U.S. civil suit, claimants apologize for sex allegations
A prominent American ballerina and her husband have withdrawn a claim that Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz paid for sex with an underage dancer several years ago, saying they have since learned she was 18 at the time.
Marc Randazza, lawyer for Dusty and Mitchell Button, filed the motion to strike Katz' name from their civil suit in Nevada on Aug. 3.
A copy of the motion was provided to CTV News Edmonton on Tuesday by Katz' lawyer through the Oilers Entertainment Group (OEG).
Katz was wrenched into the ongoing legal battle between the Buttons and an up-and-coming dancer, Sage Humphries, in late July when they filed a counterclaim against Humphries, who had accused them of committing sexual offences against her and other young dancers under their wing.
In the July counterclaim, the Buttons argued they were the victims of a coordinated attack meant to ruin their reputation and alleged Humphries had been trafficked by her own parents to billionaire Katz. They also alleged Katz was only one of several older men who had a sexual relationship eight years ago with Humphries, who they said was 17 years old at the time.
About one week after initially publishing a story, CTV News Edmonton was provided a copy of Humphries' drivers licence, which stated her birth date as Oct. 3, 1997.
In the Aug. 3 request to remove Katz' name from the counterclaim, Randazza claims his team "conducted extensive (not just diligent) research" to verify Humphries age, but that she "appears to have lied to the Buttons, and other parties, about her age."
One of the inaccurate sources he referenced was a LexisNexis report which stated she had been born in October 1998.
"I want to personally apologize for any harm the erroneous factual claims may have caused to Mr. Katz and his family," Randazza wrote in a statement shared by shared by OEG communications director Kevin Rapanos.
"We brought the claims in good faith, but the moment I doubted the ability to maintain them, I took corrective action and asked the court to strike all relevant references from the record."
Rapanos noted "it has been an incredibly difficult and damaging time for Mr. Katz and his family."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Poilievre will do 'anything to win,' must condemn Alex Jones endorsement: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is ramping up his attacks on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre as he promotes his government's federal budget.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Suspects waving weapons, smashing glass in Toronto jewelry store robbery caught on video
Arrests have been made after five men were captured on video rampaging through a jewelry store in Toronto, waving weapons and smashing glass display cases.
New evidence challenges the Pentagon's account of a horrific attack as the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan: CNN exclusive
New video evidence uncovered by CNN significantly undermines two Pentagon investigations into an ISIS-K suicide attack outside Kabul airport, during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
Pilot proposes to flight attendant girlfriend in front of passengers
A Polish pilot proposed to his flight attendant girlfriend during a flight from Warsaw to Krakow, and she said yes.