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Luke Walton admits he did meet up with the woman accusing him of sexual assault in a Santa Monica hotel room … but the Sacramento Kings head coach says she’s lying about what went down.
In new legal docs obtained by TMZ Sports … Walton claims his accuser, Kelli Tennant, was the person who initiated their meet-up, but he is adamant their encounter was “platonic” and nothing sexual even occurred.
In the docs, Walton claims when he was a Warriors coach, Tennant drove to meet him at a hotel the team was staying at while in town to play the Lakers, something she initiated.
TMZ Sports broke the story … Kelli filed a lawsuit back in April claiming Walton sexually assaulted her and forced himself on her in his hotel room.
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Now, Walton is pushing back against many of her claims from her lawsuit … he says he did NOT write a foreword for her book, says he was NOT her broadcasting mentor and says there was NO sexual assault when she dropped off her book at his hotel.
In the docs, Walton claims Tennant never complained to him or anyone else, including law enforcement, about any aspect of the visit that she initiated … and he points out she waited nearly 5 years to file her complaint.
The Kings and NBA officials launched a joint investigation into the sexual assault allegations. Walton has maintained his innocence, vowing to fight the case in court and saying he will NOT settle for any amount of money.