In Suit, Woman Alleges Gang Rape by Bengals

A woman who alleges she was gang-raped at a Seattle hotel in 1990 has sued the Cincinnati Bengals and 15 unidentified players. The woman alleges that she was repeatedly raped by the football players for two hours while as many as 20 people watched.

Richard Eymann, a Spokane attorney representing the woman, said the suit was filed in King County Superior Court in Seattle. The civil lawsuit asks for unspecified damages for the woman’s emotional and physical suffering.

The alleged rape occurred Oct. 3, 1990, two nights after a game between the Bengals and the Seattle Seahawks at the Kingdome, the lawsuit states. The woman was living in Seattle at the time. No criminal charges were filed. It was not known if the incident was reported to police.

The woman, who now lives in Spokane and is the mother of four, waited 18 months to file the lawsuit because of players’ repeated efforts to persuade her not to go public with the accusation, Eymann said.