Foreman accused of sexual abuse of teenagers in 1970s

LOS ANGELES • Two women filed lawsuits on Wednesday in California alleging that George Foreman, the former world heavyweight boxing champion, sexually abused them when they were teenagers in California in the 1970s.

According to the lawsuits, the women, using the pseudonyms Gwen H. and Denise S. to protect their identities, initially met the 73-year-old through their fathers when they were younger than 10 years old. One was a boxer and sparring partner of Foreman, while the other was a boxing manager and his long-time adviser.

Foreman then groomed the girls for several years, according to the complaints, before forcing them to have sex with him in places ranging from a San Francisco hotel to an apartment in Beverly Hills.

The two women, who are both in their early 60s, filed the complaints in the Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Foreman also told one plaintiff, according to the complaint, that she could never tell anyone about their relationship. "You don't want your dad to lose his job, do you?" he allegedly said.

Representatives for the pitchman of the popular kitchen appliance, the George Foreman Grill, referred inquiries about the lawsuits to a statement he released last month, announcing that he was anticipating a lawsuit.

"Over the past six months, two women have been trying to extort millions of dollars each from me and my family. They are falsely claiming I sexually abused them over 45 years ago in the 1970s. I adamantly and categorically deny these allegations," he said.

"I will work with my lawyers to fully and truthfully expose my accusers' scheme and defend myself in court. I don't pick fights, but I don't run away from them either."

After winning a gold medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, he beat Joe Frazier for the world heavyweight title in 1973 and then lost it the next year to Muhammad Ali in the classic Rumble In The Jungle bout in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Foreman then struggled financially before discovering religion. He mounted a comeback, at age 38, with a smiling and affable manner that was in marked contrast to his earlier persona, and in 1994, became the oldest heavyweight champion in history at 45.

The claims were filed under a California law allowing survivors of childhood sexual abuse to file lawsuits. The law, which went into effect in January 2020 and expires at the end of this year, has resulted in thousands of claims accusing coaches, teachers, clergy and others of sexual abuse. While numerous claims have been settled, only a few have gone to trial.

NYTIMES