Oilers Owner Daryl Katz Allegedly Paid Teenage Girl at Least $75K for Sexual Favors

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Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz has been named in a court filing alleging he paid an underage girl “at least $75,000” for sex.

Katie Strang of The Athletic reported Katz is a third party in a lawsuit filed by a group of ballerinas who say they were sexually abused by dance teacher Mitchell Taylor Button and his wife, Dusty Button.

Katz was named in a counterclaim filed by the Buttons, who included text messages between the Oilers owner and Sage Humphries, one of the women accusing them of sexual abuse.

The text messages show Katz talking to Humphries about making payments of $50,000 and $25,000.

It’s unclear what the payments were for, beyond Katz wanting Humphries to spend the money on herself. In one message, Katz tells Humphries “even though u r wise beyond your years given our respective ages it would be taken the wrong way.” Attorney Robert Klieger said Katz and Humphries met twice in 2016 to discuss a film project.

“Mr. Katz has never met the Buttons, and their false accusations against him are a transparent and pathetic attempt to distract attention from the abhorrent acts with which they stand charged,” Klieger said in a statement.

The NHL released a statement saying it is “in the process of looking into the matter.”

In a 2017 defamation suit, model and actress Greice Santo said Katz offered her money in exchange for sex during a magazine photoshoot, per CBC’s Andrea Huncar. The suit said Santo made a criminal complaint about Katz to police in Hawai’i, but no charges were filed.

Katz has owned the Oilers since 2008.