MINNEAPOLIS (Oct. 18, 2005) -- A woman who contends Vikings running back Onterrio Smith sexually assaulted her last year has sued the player.
The 21-year-old woman is not identified in the lawsuit filed last week, for fear of retaliation, said her attorney, Lori Peterson.
The woman, who lives in the Twin Cities, says she was injured and humiliated and is seeking $150,000 in damages.
The lawsuit claims she suffers from a lifelong illness and her physician describes her as an "individual with disabilities." She has a form of mental impairment stemming from fetal alcohol syndrome.
Police reports indicate the woman met Smith through a friend, who was in an adjacent room in the Eden Prairie apartment during the alleged assault. The lawsuit mentions that a second Vikings player was involved in the attack, but that player is not identified because he "met his legal obligations," Peterson said.
Police in Eden Prairie, the Minneapolis suburb where the Vikings practice, investigated the rape report but no charges were filed.
Smith was notified of the lawsuit May 18 and has not responded, according to Peterson. Smith's agent did not immediately return a call.
Smith was suspended for the season weeks after he was caught at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport with several vials of dried urine and "The Original Whizzinator," which is marketed as a way to beat drug tests.
