Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz named in 3rd-party counterclaim alleging he paid for sex with 17-year-old girl
Global News
The owner of the Edmonton Oilers is denying allegations made in a U.S. third-party counterclaim that says he paid a girl $75,000 for sex when she was 17 years old.
The owner of the Edmonton Oilers hockey team is denying allegations made in a U.S. third-party counterclaim filed in Nevada earlier this month that says he paid a girl $75,000 for sex when she was 17 years old.
Daryl Katz is not actually being sued and the allegations are not being made by the person the third party accused him of paying for sexual favours. However, the claim calls on him to pay part or all of any damages an American couple may be required to pay depending on the outcome of a sexual misconduct lawsuit filed against them by the woman they allege Katz paid to have sex with when she was a teen.
The allegations against Katz were made in a third-party counterclaim by the couple that is being sued by a group of women who allege they sexually abused them. None of the allegations made in either claim have been tested in court.
The third-party counterclaim was filed by Mitchell Taylor Button and Dusty Button on July 8, 2022, naming the seven women suing them as well as five other people, including Katz. Dusty Button, a ballerina, and her husband taught ballet to students. In their third-party counterclaim, they allege the lawsuit against them is an extortion attempt. They describe the accusations against them as “fabrications.”
The Buttons allege Sage Humphries engaged in sexual activities with older men while she was a teen, including Katz. They say Humphries was 17 and Katz was 53 when the alleged financial transaction took place.
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The counterclaim says Dusty Button danced with Humphries at the Boston Ballet. The amended lawsuit against the Buttons, filed by Humphries and six other women, was filed on Sept. 23, 2021. The Buttons say their reputations in the dance world and beyond have been “unjustly ruined.”
The Buttons acknowledge they had a sexual relationship with Humphries but say it was consensual and only began when she “had reached the age of majority.” They also say Humphries lived with them.