Edmonton Oilers owner and Canadian billionaire Daryl Katz is facing allegations he paid $75,000 to a 17-year-old ballerina Sage Humphries for sexual favours, according to a civil lawsuit reported by CBC News..In the US District Court in Nevada, a third-party counterclaim alleges Katz had a sexual relationship with Humphries while she was an underage teen..In 2021, Humphries and other ballerinas filed a lawsuit against dance teacher Mitchell Taylor Button and his wife Dusty Button, which accused the couple of sexual abuse..Earlier in July, the Buttons filed a third-party counterclaim they were in a consensual “throuple sexual relationship” after Humphries turned 18..The dictionary.com definition of throuple “is an intimate consensual relationship that involves three people.”.The counterclaim lists Katz and two other men that had sex with Humphries when she was still a teenager and attempts to hold those men responsible for any damages..“Humphries was literally a child prostitute to a billionaire … her mother assisted her in laundering the money she was paid and in trafficking her to Katz,” alleges the claim..CBC News obtained texts allegedly sent between Humphries and Katz when she was 17 and he was 53 in one exhibit from the court filing..“If my guys send u funds will u spend it on/keep it for yourself?” texted Katz..“And just between us? Even though u r wise beyond your years given our respective ages it would be taken the wrong way.”.“Yes .. Just between us,” replied Humphries..“OK will have one of my guys email u. He will send you 50K,” replied Katz..Robert Klieger, Katz’s attorney, called the allegations against Katz “baseless and scurrilous.” .Klieger told CBC News that Katz did not have a sexual relationship with the ballerina, but the two met twice in 2016 when Humphries pitched a project to Silver Pictures, Katz’s film company..“One of Daryl’s friends connected him with Sage because Sage was working with some producing partners on shopping a motion picture project that they had put together, basically, and it was based in the ballet world,” said Klieger..According to this lawyer, Katz sent Humphries $75,000 as part of a business deal, and that was the topic discussed in the alleged text messages..“They ultimately decided to pass on the project. But during the period of time that the project was under consideration, they asked for some help to keep with the funding of the project to keep it going. And that’s the $75,000 that is at issue,” said Klieger..Humphries and the other dancers' lawyer told CBC News that the counterclaim by the Buttons is a “meaningless sideshow.”.“As is typical of abusers facing serious litigation, the Buttons have filed counterclaims that distract from and distort the truth and weaponize the serious allegations of abuse that have been brought against them,” wrote lawyer Sigrid McCawley..This is not the first time that Katz has been accused of paying for sex..In 2017, Katz offered “millions” to Brazilian model and actress Greice Santo to “help her acting career.”
