Woman accuses Sounders FC player Nate Jaqua of sexual assault, seeks more than $10 million

A former University of Oregon women's soccer player sued Sounders FC forward Nate Jaqua and Major League Soccer this week, accusing Jaqua of sexually assaulting her in Eugene, Ore., two years ago.

According to the complaint, the woman allegedly met Jaqua on July 1, 2007, and later allowed him to walk her home from a Eugene bar. Jaqua allegedly sexually assaulted the woman in a cemetery along the way.

After the attack the woman could no longer attend the University of Oregon or play on the soccer team because of mental stress due to the assault, according to the complaint, filed Tuesday in Multnomah County Circuit Court in Portland.

The woman included Jaqua's former teams — the Los Angeles Galaxy and Houston Dynamo — as well as Major League Soccer in the suit, saying she was induced to trust Jaqua because he was a professional soccer player. Jaqua played for the Dynamo at the time of the alleged attack and played for the Galaxy during that same season.

The filed suit seeks more than $10 million. Eugene police said Thursday they have no evidence that the woman ever filed a police report or worked with the violent crime unit, which handles sexual assault cases.

David Angeli, a Portland attorney representing Jaqua, issued the following statement today:

"Nate Jaqua was shocked to learn of these allegations. The Complaint — which has not even been served on Nate — is baseless. It alleges events that purportedly took place two years ago. In the past two years, Nate has never been contacted by the police, the District Attorney's Office, the plaintiff, her lawyer, or anyone else regarding these allegations.

"Nate has confidence in the legal system and is certain that these allegations will be proven to be false."

Jaqua's parents — his father Jon and mother Connie — met with media today in Eugene, and issued a statement of support:

"The allegations contained in this civil lawsuit are completely incompatible with everything that the people closest to Nate know about him. Nate is a terrific person. At age 28, he's never been in trouble in his life. He was born and raised in Eugene and has always been committed to making positive contributions to our community.

"Looking at this Complaint, the circumstances under which it was filed, and based on everything that Connie and I know about Nate, we can only conclude that the plaintiff in this case is a troubled young woman. The incident allegedly took place more than two years ago. In the intervening two years, the plaintiff apparently never reported any incident to the police. She apparently never went to the District Attorney. Neither she nor her lawyer ever approached Nate or us, his family. Instead, her initial platform for making these very troubling and detailed allegations of criminal conduct is a civil lawsuit demanding $10 million, filed just one day before the statute of limitations would have extinguished her ability to demand money.

"We steadfastly support Nate during this difficult time and will continue to do so."

The woman's lawyer was not immediately available for comment. Sounders FC representatives said Thursday they are aware of the situation but had no comment.

Jaqua has started all 15 games he has played for the Sounders this season and was named MLS Player of the Week for his two goals and assist in the team's win over the Colorado Rapids last Sunday. He played Wednesday night in Portland and recorded an assist in Seattle's 2-1 win over the Timbers in a U.S. Open Cup match.

Lindsay Toler: 206-464-2463 or ltoler@seattletimes.com; staff reporter José Miguel Romero contributed to this report.