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WNBA All-Star Layshia Clarendon alleged in a civil lawsuit filed Wednesday that she was sexually assaulted by a Cal athletic department employee during her freshman year at the university.
The lawsuit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court and later obtained by USA TODAY Sports, claims that assistant director for student services Mohamed Muqtar invited Clarendon to his house during the 2009-10 school year, opened the door while she was using the bathroom and assaulted her.
The lawsuit also lists Cal's Regents as defendants, alleging negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The Cal athletic department said in a statement Wednesday night that the university is aware of the lawsuit and confirmed that Muqtar has been placed on paid leave. The school also said it "has not received a copy of the lawsuit nor had the benefit of reviewing the allegations."
"Cal Athletics is and will always be committed to fostering a culture where everyone feels safe, welcome and respected," the department said in part of the statement. "Layshia holds a special place in our history for her contributions to Cal women’s basketball both on and off the court, and we are saddened to hear of the allegations that are coming to light today."
Clarendon told ESPN, which first reported the lawsuit, that she never spoke about the alleged assault while she was in school but is coming forward now because "it's not my shame to carry."
"My biggest hope is that he never does this to anyone else," the Atlanta Dream guard wrote in one of several tweets about the lawsuit Wednesday. "That no one else has to suffer under his hand, or him violating their bodies again. That this would be the end of him assaulting people."
According to the lawsuit, Muqtar regularly paid for dinners with student-athletes during Clarendon's freshman year and invited her to other outings with just the two of them. Clarendon came to view him as a father figure. At some of those outings, or meetings in Muqtar's office, he asked Clarendon about her sexuality and sexual encounters, according to the lawsuit.
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The alleged assault occurred at Muqtar's house after he invited her to watch a jazz concert video, according to the lawsuit.
Muqtar did not immediately respond to an e-mail from USA TODAY Sports sent to his university address on Wednesday night.
Clarendon, 26, played at Cal from 2009-2013, leading the Golden Bears to their first Final Four appearance in 2013 while averaging 16.4 points per game. The ninth overall pick in the 2013 WNBA draft, she spent the first three seasons of her professional career with the Indiana Fever before signing with the Dream in 2016.
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.
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