An unidentified plaintiff has filed a civil lawsuit against professional boxer Joseph “JoJo” Diaz, accusing the former IBF super featherweight champion of attempting to coerce a minor to engage in sexual activity.
The lawsuit, which was filed by “Jane Doe” in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleges that Diaz, 29, shared “sexually graphic material” with the plaintiff via the social app Snapchat in September 2020. The plaintiff states she was 17 at the time.
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff submitted a police report on the alleged incident one year later, in September 2021. No criminal charges resulted from the investigation. The lawsuit also states Diaz formerly dated the plaintiff’s older sister, and that his father told the plaintiff’s family Diaz sent the photo “mistakenly” after a night of drinking.
The lawsuit states the plaintiff has suffered “emotional distress and discomfort” as a result of the alleged actions, and is seeking liquidated damages in the amount of $150,000.
Diaz was not immediately available for comment. Multiple messages to his promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, were not immediately returned.
A since-deleted tweet from Diaz’s verified Twitter account stated, “Ooooooooo they desperate 4 moneeeeeyyy.”
Diaz (32-2-1, 15 KOs) was born in South El Monte, California. He is expected to return to the ring this summer, although he does not have an official fight lined up. He most recently challenged Devin Haney for the WBC lightweight title in December, and lost via unanimous decision. Prior to that, he was scheduled to face Ryan Garcia in November, but Garcia withdrew with an injured hand.
