David Sullivan is suing the BBC for £150 million over a Panorama documentary that accused him of preying on and abusing young women.
The West Ham United shareholder is seeking aggravated damages in a case understood to be being filed after the broadcast of Predator: The Billionaire Football Boss on 8 June.
Mr Sullivan, 77, stepped down as the club’s chairman shortly before the programme aired, saying he would devote his attention to fighting what he described as false allegations. He remains West Ham’s largest shareholder and is expected to increase his stake from 38.8 per cent to 40 per cent.
The BBC documentary featured accounts from seven women, six of whom remained anonymous. Former models alleged that Mr Sullivan used his position in the newspaper industry to pressure women into sexual encounters during meetings about potential work.
Mr Sullivan has denied the allegations. In a statement issued before the broadcast, he described the BBC’s claims as “entirely false” and “sensationalised”.
He also questioned how the women and their accounts had been assessed, saying he had not been given a proper explanation of how they were independently verified or judged for credibility.
Sacha Wall was the only woman identified in the programme. She alleged that Mr Sullivan tried to pressure her into sex in 1998, when she was a 24-year-old aspiring model, by suggesting it would help her career.
Ms Wall said she had been invited to Mr Sullivan’s Essex mansion for what she understood to be a business meeting. She alleged that he asked her to undress to her underwear and later made a proposition after she told him she would not sleep with him.
She also said she became frightened after finding the door locked when she tried to leave, although Mr Sullivan opened it after she demanded to be let out. Ms Wall later appeared in his Sport newspaper but said she was frequently given poor assignments.
Another woman, referred to as Anna, alleged that Mr Sullivan asked her for oral sex when she was 17, after she entered the Miss Sport competition and attended an event at an Essex nightclub.
A further woman, known as Florence, claimed she was pressured into sleeping with him in 1999. The allegations relate to women seeking opportunities at the Daily Sport and Sunday Sport newspapers, which were owned by Mr Sullivan.
The programme also reported that Mr Sullivan had separately admitted paying for sex in the 1990s with a girl he understood to be aged 16 or 17. He was in his forties at the time, and paying for sex with a 16- or 17-year-old did not become illegal until 2003.
Reports surrounding the documentary said the Football Association had taken safeguarding action against Mr Sullivan three years ago, preventing him from having contact with West Ham’s women’s and youth teams after a historical allegation was raised in 2023.
Mr Sullivan denied that allegation and said he had never met an academy or women’s player one-to-one during his 16 years at West Ham. He described the arrangement as temporary and said it followed an anonymous complaint about an event in 1981 that had nothing to do with his time in football and “never happened”.
He announced his resignation as chairman two days before the documentary was broadcast, saying he had engaged lawyers and would pursue legal action over “each and every false complaint” made against him.
Mr Sullivan has continued attending West Ham matches at the London Stadium, despite calls from the stadium’s operators and the club’s Fan Advisory Board for him to stay away. He was seen at the club’s home victory over Portsmouth in the Carabao Cup in August.
West Ham were relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season. Mr Sullivan remains the club’s leading shareholder.
Police investigations into sexual misconduct allegations against him, some dating back 18 years, were previously dropped without charge. Mr Sullivan’s proposed £150 million action was reported as a new legal case being pursued against the BBC.
The BBC said it did not wish to comment at this time.
