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Sarah BarshopMar 25, 2026, 03:35 PM ET
- Sarah Barshop covers the Los Angeles Rams for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2016 to cover the Green Bay Packers for ESPN Milwaukee. She then moved to Houston to cover the Texans. She came to ESPN after working as a writer and editor for Sports Illustrated.
LOS ANGELES — A woman in Los Angeles has filed a civil lawsuit against Puka Nacua alleging the Rams wide receiver made an “unprovoked antisemitic statement” and later bit her on the shoulder.
The lawsuit cites gender violence, assault and battery and negligence.
The plaintiff, Madison Atiabi, alleged the events happened on New Year’s Eve in Century City. In the court document obtained by ESPN, Atiabi said Nacua said, “f— all the Jews,” and that she “immediately felt uncomfortable and emotionally distressed” because of her Jewish faith.
Later in the lawsuit, Atiabi said she was in a car with Nacua when he “forcibly” bit her on the left shoulder, “leaving a circular imprint of his teeth on her body.” The lawsuit also alleges Nacua bit her friend’s thumb in the car “with such force that her companion screamed in acute pain.”
The woman filed for a temporary restraining order, but that request was denied. A hearing is scheduled for April 14, according to multiple reports.
The news of the lawsuit was first reported by TMZ. Nacua’s attorney, Levi McCathern said in a statement obtained by ABC News that Nacua denies the allegations in the lawsuit “in the strongest possible terms” and that he has video evidence that “underscores” that “Atiabi’s behavior and actions are inconsistent with the allegations being made.”
McCarthern said in the statement that, “multiple sober witnesses have stated unequivocally that Puka never made the comments Ms. Atiabi claims” and called it “a blatant lie.”
He described Nacua biting Atiabi’s shoulder as “horseplay” to the Los Angeles Times.
“In the months that followed, our office was contacted with demands for millions of dollars in exchange for not publicizing these allegations,” McCathern said in the statement obtained by ABC News. “That is not a legitimate legal claim — it is blackmail.”
McCathern said he will be filing a defamation lawsuit on behalf of Nacua against Atiabi and will be “pursuing all available legal remedies in response to these false and damaging statements.”
The lawsuit comes days after Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba agreed to a four-year, $168.6 million contract extension that makes him the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history. Nacua, who just completed his third season in the NFL in 2025, also is eligible for a contract extension this offseason.
“The timing of the claimant’s recent legal action — over three months after the alleged incident and just days after JSN’s record breaking contract as a wide receiver — further underscores the complete lack of credibility behind these accusations,” McCathern said in the statement obtained by ABC News.
ESPN also has reached out to Nacua’s agent for comment.
In December, Nacua issued a statement apologizing for performing a gesture on an internet livestream that was “antisemitic in nature and perpetuated harmful stereotypes against Jewish people.”
Nacua made the gesture on a livestream with two internet streamers, who suggested he perform the gesture as part of his next touchdown celebration. In the statement, Nacua said “at the time he had no idea” of the nature of the gesture, which has been associated with antisemitic themes.
At the time of the December incident, the Rams released a statement saying, “There is no place in this world for Antisemitism as well as other forms of prejudice or hostility toward the Jewish people and people of any religion, ethnicity, or race.”
