- A woman filed a civil lawsuit alleging BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff sexually assaulted her.
- The lawsuit alleges the assault happened at Retzlaff's home in November 2023.
- Retzlaff led the Cougars to an 11-2 record last season in his first year as the starter.
A Salt Lake County woman accused BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff of sexual assault in a civil lawsuit filed Wednesday in 3rd District Court in Salt Lake City.
The woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe A.G., claims she reported the alleged assault to Provo police but that an officer told her “sexual assault victims never get justice.”
In the complaint, the woman alleges Retzlaff “raped, strangled and bit her” at his home in November 2023, after the two had connected on social media several weeks earlier. She is suing for alleged battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and is seeking punitive damages.
Mark Baute, an attorney for Retzlaff, said in a statement that the quarterback is “factually innocent.”
“I have met him, and he is a nice young man. He is also factually innocent, and we look forward to proving that innocence. Jake’s focus this year will be on football. We don’t try cases in the media, we will respect the process and establish Jake’s innocence through the judicial system,” the statement said.
Retzlaff had not been criminally charged as of Wednesday.
BYU issued a statement saying the school became aware of the lawsuit Wednesday.
“The university takes any allegation very seriously, following all processes and guidelines mandated by Title IX. Due to federal and university privacy laws and practices for students, the university will not be able to provide additional comment,” according to the statement.
A few days after the alleged assault, Jane Doe A.G. went to the hospital where a rape kit was performed and pictures taken of a cut on her lip and bruises around her neck and on her inner thighs, according to the lawsuit.
The woman was connected with the Provo Police Department, but initially did not share his name because the officer she spoke to said if she did, detectives would go to Retzlaff’s house to question him and share her name with him, the lawsuit says.
“She was scared and in shock and not ready to confront him,” according to the lawsuit.
After talking to police, an officer reached out to her asking for the name because someone else filed a complaint against a football player and the police wanted to see if it was the same person.
“At that point, Jane Doe A.G. shared Retzlaff’s name, and the Provo police then encouraged her not to do anything because, as they claimed, ‘sexual assault victims never get justice,” the lawsuit says.
The Provo Police Department disputes the claim that an officer told the woman sexual assault victims don’t get justice.
“From everything we have reviewed, this is not true. We have a team of dedicated investigators and victim advocates whose sole mission is to provide justice to victims of sexual abuse. They do not send people away, warning them there is no justice for victims,” Provo police spokeswoman Janna-Lee Holland said in a statement.
Records show the department received a phone report on Nov. 27, 2023 from a woman with the initials A.G. who gave a similar account to the one in the lawsuit, according to Holland.
Holland said she was treated with “courtesy and care” and given several opportunities to identify her abuser but declined to do so, and the case was subsequently closed. She said “collected evidence was examined, and it revealed no actionable investigative leads.”
The department’s victim advocates followed up several times to offer services but received no response, Holland said.
“Because the civil suit does not identify the victim, we cannot be certain our police report is the same incident referenced by the plaintiff, but it does seem likely given the information we have,” according to Holland.
According to the lawsuit, the Jane Doe A.G. and friend went to Retzlaff’s house on Nov. 22, 2023, to hang out. They went to his room to play the video game “Fortnite” and while doing so she talked to some of his friends and BYU teammates.
Later in the evening, she and Retzlaff started to watch a movie and began to kiss. According to the lawsuit, he began to touch her in places that she did not want him to and tried to pull away saying, “wait.” “She did not want to do anything sexual with him,” court documents say.
As the situation escalated, she repeatedly told him “no” and “stop,” the lawsuit says. She claims Retzlaff became angry and shouted at her and that she tried to make a phone call but her cell phone was dead.
The lawsuit then alleges Retzlaff sexually assaulted her.
Retzlaff led BYU to an 11-2 record last season in his first year as the starting quarterback. He earned All-Big 12 honorable mention recognition.
A 2023 transfer from Riverside City College in California, Retzlaff is the first Jewish starting quarterback at BYU, which is sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.