Jonathan Barnett, one of football’s most prominent agents and one of the men behind Gareth Bale’s world-record move to Real Madrid, has been accused in a US civil lawsuit of human trafficking, torture, and repeated sexual assault. Barnett and his former employer, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), have strongly denied all allegations and vowed to fight the case.
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Barnett accused of trafficking, torture and repeated sexual assaultCAA allegedly assisted abuse but both parties deny all claimsLawsuit casts shadow over decades-long football agency careerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
An unnamed woman, who has identified as Jane Doe in a complaint filed in California, accused Barnett of trafficking her from Australia to the United Kingdom in 2017, keeping her as a "sex slave" for six years, and raping her more than 39 times. The lawsuit also alleges that CAA helped facilitate Barnett’s actions. Barnett and CAA have both categorically denied the claims.
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The complaint describes "institutional abuse at the highest level," claiming Barnett "owned" the complainant and used threats, violence, and coercive control to silence her. It also alleges CAA knew or should have known what was happening and enabled the abuse. The court filing includes detailed claims of physical torture and financial control.
The complaint read: "This is a case about institutional abuse at the highest level. This case is about how one of the world’s most powerful men in sports openly kept a sex slave for years, with the assistance of his employees, accountants, emissaries, and family members, and used his money and power to maintain coercive control over her and keep her in fear for her life and the lives of her children."
WHAT BARNETT AND CAA'S STATEMENT SAID
In a statement made on Thursday, Barnett said: "The claims made in today’s complaint against me have no basis in reality and are untrue. We will vigorously defend this lawsuit through the appropriate legal process. I am looking forward to being entirely vindicated and exonerated."
CAA's statement read: "While the complaint attempts to connect these allegations to CAA’s business, Ms. Doe has never been an employee, consultant, or contractor of CAA, ICM, or Stellar, nor has she ever had any business connection to CAA, ICM, or Stellar. CAA takes any allegations of this nature seriously, and through counsel, promptly urged Ms. Doe to contact law enforcement in the United Kingdom."
AFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Barnett, who retired last year, was behind major transfers including Bale to Madrid. He sold his agency, Stellar Group, to ICM in 2020, which was later acquired by CAA in 2022. The lawsuit threatens to cast a long shadow over the agencies involved and their due diligence processes.