Oscar De La Hoya accused of sexually assaulting woman twice in 2020

A former tequila company executive has accused Oscar De La Hoya of two instances of sexual assault in a civil suit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

The victim, a woman, alleges during a trip to Mexico in March 2020 to visit the Casa Mexico Tequila distillery, the former six-division world champion knocked on her hotel room door “with his pants dropped down to his ankles, then pushed his way into the room, and got into her bed,” according to the lawsuit. “She pushed him from the bed and walked him to his room, opened his door, and immediately returned to her own room.”

The following morning, De La Hoya was a no-show when the Casa Mexico assembled to tour the distillery, and the woman went to his room to wake him up. However, she alleges that the boxer-turned promoter subsequently “pulled [her] into his bed, where he sexually assaulted her.”

De La Hoya, who is a partner in the company, allegedly assaulted the woman again after they dined at a restaurant with a group of Casa Mexico executives. Upon leaving the establishment, the crew went back to De La Hoya’s home. But according to the lawsuit, the woman was left unguarded.

“At some point, when De La Hoya was alone with [the woman], he revealed and retrieved a sexual object from a stored collection in his house. Without [her] consent, De La Hoya forcibly inserted the sexual object into [her] body,” the lawsuit states.

De La Hoya denied the allegations.

“With the 24-hour news cycle we all find ourselves in, more often than not, malicious and unjust accusations are interpreted as truth without the evidence to support their erroneous claims. I am confident my legal team will resolve this matter and prove my innocence,” he said on Wednesday.

In addition to sexual assault, the victim, who was eventually let go from the Casa Mexico Tequila Company, alleges sexual harassment, retaliation, gender discrimination, and wrongful termination.

“Officers and partners of Casa Mexico, almost exclusively men, and including Michael A. Gooch, Robert Crossan and Oscar De La Hoya created a work environment which resulted in a tragic, humiliating, physically and emotionally damaging, experience, both personally and professionally.”

Said the victim’s attorney: “[She] has been severely impacted and has filed a lawsuit to hold [De La Hoya] accountable and those perpetuating toxic masculinity and a hostile work environment where her abuse was not just tolerated, but encouraged and condoned by Casa Mexico’s executives, Michael Gooch and Robert Crossan. As a survivor of this abuse, she wants others to know this behavior is unacceptable — and it doesn’t matter who you are. We will seek justice on her behalf,” Sylvia Torres-Guillén.

The victim also claimed she reported the second assault to Casa Mexico founder Don Buccio, but the company responded by doing nothing.

The 11-time world champion was also accused of committing sexual assault in 1998 by an 18-year-old woman, who sought $10 million in damages. No criminal charges were filed, but an out-of-court settlement was reached.

According to the lawsuit, the victim delayed reporting the alleged sexual assault because she “reasonably feared retribution from the company.”

She continued: “At minimum, [she] recognized that this incident presented a conflict within the company’s members and board, placed her in a negative light, and consequently caused continuing harm to her personal and professional reputation.”