Police weren't informed of sexual assault allegations against Walton

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Police in Santa Monica, Calif., said Tuesday they were never informed of the sexual assault allegations documented in a lawsuit filed this week against Sacramento Kings head coach Luke Walton and thus never launched a formal investigation into the matter.

"There has been no report made to the Santa Monica Police Department," Lt. Candice Cobarrubias said in a statement obtained by Richard Winton and Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times. "No investigation is ongoing."

Kelli Tennant, a former reporter with Spectrum SportsNet in Los Angeles, filed a lawsuit against Walton on Monday alleging he sexually assaulted her in a Santa Monica hotel room during his time as an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors.

Tennant's attorney, Garo Mardirossian, did not initially disclose whether she reported the allegations to police.

Though no date for the incident was specified, the suit states it happened after Tennant's book - for which Walton wrote a foreword - was released in 2014. Walton served as an assistant on Steve Kerr's coaching staff from July 2014 until April 2016.

According to the lawsuit, Tennant drove to Walton's hotel to deliver him a copy of the book and he invited her to his hotel room in order to avoid the public eye. Once in the room, the suit states, Walton suddenly "pinned Ms. Tennant on the bed, placing his hips and legs over her body."

"She was afraid she was about to be raped," the lawsuit states.

The suit also alleges further instances of Walton harassing Tennant throughout the years, including after he became the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Walton has denied the allegations through his attorney, Mark Baute.

"The accuser is an opportunist, not a victim, and her claim is not credible," Baute said in a statement. "We intend to prove this in a courtroom."

Both the NBA and the Kings have launched investigations into the matter.