Roethlisberger accused of sex assault in lawsuit

RENO, Nev. (AP) -- A woman is accusing Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of raping her last summer in his penthouse hotel room at Lake Tahoe.

The woman worked at Harrah's hotel-casino at the time and says the attack happened when the Super Bowl-winning quarterback was in Tahoe playing in a celebrity golf tournament. She also alleges in the civil suit that Harrah's officials refused to investigate her complaint and went to great lengths to cover up the incident.

Roethlisberger's lawyer David Cornwell denies the claim and says the quarterback will be "fully exonerated."

The lawsuit filed in Reno on Friday seeks at least $390,000 in damages. It says she has been in and out of hospitals for treatment of depression since the episode.

It was not immediately clear if the woman went to law enforcement with her complaints.