Tiger Woods Feels Ex Erica Herman’s Lawsuit is ‘Another Shakedown,’ Source Says: ‘It Terrifies Him’
“There’s a lot of panic right now” for Woods, a source close to the golfer tells PEOPLE
Tiger Woods is worried about what could be “another scandal” amid legal drama with his ex-girlfriend Erica Herman, a source close to the golfer tells PEOPLE.
With the news that Herman has filed a lawsuit accusing Woods of locking her out of his home and going back on an oral agreement that allowed her to live there for another five years, “Tiger feels like this is another shakedown,” the source says.
Woods, 47, is worried about how this will play out publicly, the insider adds. “He doesn’t want another scandal.”
The source says that Woods believes Herman, 38, is aware of her ex-boyfriend’s concern over another public fallout from a romantic relationship. “It terrifies him,” the source says, adding, “And she knows that because they’ve talked about it.”
As the former couple’s legal disputes continue, the source says, “there’s a lot of panic right now” for Woods. “No one wants the details of a long relationship to be made public.”
The situation is “a nightmare for him,” says the source.
The insider tells PEOPLE that “it was clear that things have gotten toxic between the two of them” and that “everyone” around the couple “knew that last year.” Woods ended his relationship with Herman in October, according to the lawsuit, obtained by PEOPLE, and told her she could no longer reside at his Florida home, where he lives with his two children.
Additionally, the source close to Woods says the $30 million Herman asks for in the filing “is ridiculous.”
Woods “has to decide whether it’s worth paying that amount so that this can go away,” says the insider. “Or else, will he see her giving an interview to Dr. Phil? He is trying to protect himself.”
On Monday, Herman filed a complaint asking to be removed from a non-disclosure agreement she signed in 2017, citing a law that allows NDAs to be nullified in cases of sexual assault. However, Herman has not made any accusations against Woods.
