Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin has refiled his $100 million defamation lawsuit against Marriott and a hotel employee, transferring the case from Texas to Arizona. Irvin’s attorney, Levi McCathern, filed a notice of dismissal in a US District Court in Sherman, followed by a refiled lawsuit in Arizona state court.
The lawsuit now specifically names four hotel employees as well as Marriott. Court records indicate that Marriott provided Irvin with video footage showing his encounter with the female employee. The video, played at a news conference, depicts Irvin speaking with the employee for nearly two minutes and shaking her hand. However, the video lacks any audio of their conversation.
Marriott previously filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, claiming that Texas did not have jurisdiction since the event occurred in Arizona. Irvin filed the lawsuit last month after a Phoenix hotel employee reported misconduct against him, resulting in his removal from NFL Network coverage leading up to the Super Bowl.
In a court filing last Friday, Marriott alleged that Irvin made unwelcome sexual advances toward a female employee, stating that on Feb. 5 at the Renaissance Phoenix Hotel, Irvin “appeared to be visibly intoxicated” and asked a lewd question about intercourse with a Black man. Marriott also claimed that Irvin made a sexual remark after leering at the victim, followed by slapping himself in the face three times while saying “keep it together Mike.”
Irvin passionately denied any wrongdoing at a news conference last Wednesday, comparing the accusations to a modern lynching. He stated that he and the woman had only discussed the sports shows he appeared on and that he did not make any inappropriate remarks.
The court case is now filed in the Arizona Superior Court of Maricopa County.
