Who is Erica Herman? Ex-girlfriend of Tiger Woods, when did they meet & how things went wrong?

A personal dispute between golfer Tiger Woods and his apparent ex-girlfriend, Erica Herman has spilt into a Florida court. The duo broke up in October and Woods allegedly locked her out of the seaside mansion they shared on the Treasure Coast. The former girlfriend, Herman responded by filing a lawsuit, not against the golf legend but against a homestead trust he controls in Hobe Sound, Florida.

Herman is now claiming damages of more than $30 million and said the trust and its agents misappropriated $40,000 cash that belonged to her, making “scurrilous and defamatory allegations about how she obtained the money”. In her court filing, Herman said that she has the right to talk as given under the Speak Out Act.

Under the Speak Out Act, which President Joe Biden signed a law in December, non-disclosure and non-disparagement documents are not enforceable when sexual assault and/or sexual harassment comes after such agreements are entered into.

Herman and Woods made their first public appearance in 2017 at the President’s Cup in September. Since that first appearance, Herman became a constant spectator at the course whenever Woods was competing. Though the couple otherwise used to remain low-key over the years. This was different from Wood’s previous relationships with Lindsey Vonn and his very public marriage and divorce from Elin Nordegren.

The couple was rarely seen out in public other than at golf events. The first nom-golf appearance by the couple was at the 2022 US Open when they together came to support Serena Williams from the stands. Herman was only seen on Wood’s Instagram as she herself has no social media presence at all.

Who is Erica Herman? Tiger Woods’ former girlfriend who dated him for almost five years

When Herman was spotted with Woods at the President’s Cup, she was seen wearing a ‘player spouse’ credential, which is generally reserved for the spouses or significant others of the event’s players and captains. In addition to accompanying Woods on the course, she was spotted attending the opening ceremonies with the US team’s wives and girlfriends, according to Golf.com.

A month later, the couple made things official on Instagram when Woods shared a photo of the two at Dodger Stadium for a World Series game. The photo posted on the golfer’s Instagram showed Woods and Herman twining with Dodgers jerseys.

Herman later moved into Woods’ Jupiter, Florida mansion. Herman spent her entire childhood in Florida and didn’t move only because of Woods. She grew up in Palm Beach County and attended Santaluces High School in the early 2000s. In school, she was a member of the cheerleading team.

Herman stayed in her home state for college as well, attending both Palm Beach State College and the University of Central Florida. She graduated from UCF in May 2008 with a bachelor‘s degree in legal studies.

Erica Herman’s career in the restaurant industry

Though her degree was in legal studies, the majority of her career was spent in the restaurant industry. She first worked as a bartender and was eventually named VIP manager at the Blue Martini Lounge.

According to court records, in 2010 Herman also had ambitions to open a string of nightclubs in Florida with two business partners and a local investor — an endeavour that ultimately failed. She eventually became the general manager of Tiger Woods' flagship restaurant The Woods Jupiter, which opened at Florida's Harbourside Place in August 2015. It was there that Herman began working directly with Woods.

How do things go south between Erica Herman and Tiger Woods?

Herman used to get along well with Woods’ ex-wife and his children. She even supported him during his February 21 car crash and helped him recover. The rollover accident in Los Angles left Woods unsure if he would ever walk again. But Herman, who was clicked at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center the day following his accident, was a key part of his recovery.

After months of rehab, which Woods described as “more painful than anything I have ever experienced” he returned to golf, playing in the PNC Championship in December 2021 with his son. Cheering from the sidelines was Herman, along with Woods’ daughter and Nordegren.

Everything was going well until March 2023 when things became sour. The news broke that the pair had split when Herman filed a lawsuit against Woods, asking to be removed from a non-disclosure agreement she signed in August 2017, when the two began dating. The documents state that Woods and Herman “had a long relationship” that was both professional and personal.

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