Katz' name withdrawn from U.S. civil suit, claimants apologize for sex allegations
A prominent American ballerina and her husband have withdrawn a claim that Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz paid for sex with an underage dancer several years ago, saying they have since learned she was 18 at the time.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
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Canadian couple among tourists on sinking sailing boat tour abroad
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
'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.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Accused of burglary at stepmother's home, U.S. senator says she wanted her father's ashes: charges
A Minnesota state senator and former broadcast meteorologist told police that she broke into her stepmother's home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to burglary charges filed Tuesday.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.