Shaun White Sexual Harassment Accuser's Lawyer Responds to Calling Claims Gossip

Attorney Lawrance Bohm said Shaun White "minimized the problem of sexual harassment in this country" by referring to allegations as "gossip," per Brent Schrotenboer and Josh Peter of USA Today.

Bohm represents Lena Zawaideh, White's former bandmate who filed a lawsuit against the Team USA snowboarder in 2016. The two sides agreed to an undisclosed settlement.

Although Zawaideh considered the situation to be over, her lawyer suggests his recent words were too harmful to ignore.

"No woman wants to be called a 'gossip' or a liar by the harasser," Bohm said. "Minimizing sexual harassment maximizes the harm to Ms. Zawaideh. Hopefully, before our country declares someone 'the best of the U.S.,' there will be investigation and due diligence."

White, 31, won his third Olympic gold medal in the men's snowboarding halfpipe Tuesday (Wednesday in Pyeongchang, South Korea). However, he was dismissive when asked about the sexual harassment lawsuit following his win.

"I'm here to talk about the Olympics, not gossip and stuff," he said, per Jake Seiner of the Associated Press (via ABC News).

He later apologized for his comments on the Today Show:

Zawaideh was the drummer and only female member of the band, Bad Things, which featured White on guitar. He had initially contested the harassment lawsuit and was set to go to court last August before the case was dismissed with a settlement.