Former basketball great Byron Scott, a three‑time NBA champion with the “Showtime” Lakers and former head coach of the franchise, is facing a civil lawsuit that accuses him of sexually assaulting a 15‑year‑old schoolgirl nearly four decades ago. The 20‑page complaint, filed this week in Los Angeles Superior Court, was brought by Hayley Dylan, now 53, who alleges that Scott lured her into a locked janitor’s closet at Campbell Hall, an elite private school in Studio City, during a summer 1987 Lakers video shoot and forced her to perform oral sex.
According to the filing, Scott—then 26 years old and already married—told the teenager he wanted to “show her around.” Once inside the closet, he allegedly kissed her, partially disrobed her and himself, and coerced sexual contact. Dylan says she escaped only after Scott warned her to stay silent. She is suing for sexual battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress, seeking more than 25,000 US‑Dollar in damages and a jury trial. The suit also names Campbell Hall, arguing the school failed to protect students when it gave the Lakers unrestricted access to the campus.
Scott initially asked the court to keep his identity sealed as “John Doe,” but a judge later unsealed the record. In a statement released by attorney Linda Bauermeister, the 64‑year‑old does not deny sexual contact yet maintains it was consensual and that he “believed Dylan was over 18 at the time.” Scott says he is “shocked” by what he calls “false allegations of misconduct involving a minor.”
Although any potential criminal charges from 1987 are long‑barred, Dylan’s civil action relies on California’s series of “look‑back” statutes for childhood‑sexual‑abuse survivors. Under Assembly Bill 218 and subsequent expansions, plaintiffs can sue until at least their 40th birthday, or within five years of discovering the psychological harm caused by the abuse. Those provisions have opened the courts to historic claims against clergy, teachers and, increasingly, sports figures.
The defendants must answer the complaint within 30 days, after which the case enters discovery—exchange of documents, deposition of witnesses who attended the 1987 Lakers shoot and review of any surviving video footage. Experts expect vigorous challenges to Dylan’s memory, the question of consent and whether Scott knew her age. Many high‑profile civil assault suits end in settlement, but Dylan’s filing explicitly demands a jury trial.
Scott, a mainstay of Lakers history and longtime TV analyst, has not appeared on the team’s broadcast since news of the lawsuit broke. The Lakers organization declined comment, citing pending litigation.
