New details have emerged in the alleged Kristaps Porzingis sexual assault case, which include the woman making the claims reaching out to the Knicks to "mediate" the $68,000 payment Porzingis had promised her, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The new information comes from emails obtained by ESPN between the accuser and the Knicks' legal department, as well as text messages between her and Porzingis.
The emails show the 29-year-old woman communicated with the Knicks in late October through early November -- eight months after the alleged assault and prior to any criminal complaint filed with New York police.
She provided the Knicks text messages that showed a "drunk" Porzingis invited her to his apartment late at night on Feb. 6, 2018 -- the night Porzingis sustained his torn ACL injury -- and said it turned into an "extremely aggressive encounter." In an effort to make up for the way he treated her, he agreed to co-sign a statement that promised a $68,000 payment to cover her brother's college tuition.
She also included photographs that showed hair loss and a broken nose cartilage from "when he repeatedly hit me."
The accuser asked the Knicks to keep the information private and in an email concluded, "I will litigate this matter if the Knicks legal team fails to properly mediate in private."
The Knicks appeared to end communication with the accuser in early November, referring her to Porzingis' personal legal team.
In an email exchanged between the Knicks and Porzingis' counsel, Jamaal Lesane, the Knicks' vice president of legal affair, wrote: "She went up to Porzingis' apartment with a notebook to get his autograph. Once she was inside Porzingis' apartment, 'Porzingis had his way with me without my consent.' "Later, Porzingis offered her money 'when he knew was wrong.' Porzingis offered to pay the tuition for (the woman's) brother's education in the amount of $68,000."
Before the accuser contacted the Knicks, text messages between her and Porzingis show she attempted to pursue a romantic relationship with the 23-year-old, asking to spend intimate time with Porzingis and shared explicit photos of herself.
Per ESPN, the text messages show the woman became increasingly frustrated that Porzingis was not responsive to her texts but was friendly to her whenever they crossed paths in the building.
It remains unclear if the two had any other sexual encounters after the alleged assault.
Porzingis' attorney said in a statement he "unequivocally denies the allegations," which includes signing an alleged contract.
A copy of the alleged contract -- a handwritten letter obtained by ESPN -- shows Porzingis' name misspelled and a signature that is unclear whether or not it belongs to him.
"Mr. Porzingis denies signing the alleged contract, which we believe is a forgery," his attorney, Roland G. Riopelle said. "When asked to produce the original contract for handwriting analysis, the complainant declined to do so."
The NBA is aware of the claims while the Knicks, who traded Porzingis to the Mavericks in February, declined official comment.