Lawyer: Women's photos in Powell's book had 'nothing to do with prostitution'

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Attorneys representing 11 women in a lawsuit against Katina Powell for what they say are false allegations in her tell-all book "Breaking Cardinal Rules" made their first court appearance Monday.

In Powell's explosive book that rocked the University of Louisville athletic department last month, she claimed she worked with a former UofL player and staff member to provide hookers for parties that basketball players and recruits attended.

Eleven plaintiffs have brought a lawsuit against Powell, including 5 females students who allege the book has jeopardized the worth of their degrees from the University of Louisville.

[MORE: Complete coverage of UofL sex scandal]

The six other women are named and pictured in the book as the dancers Powell used for UofL basketball players and recruits. The women say they were not among the adult entertainers, nor did Powell have permission to name them.

"They have a variety of occupations but none of them are engaged in active stripping," Attorney Nader Shunnarah said said to the media Monday. "If you recall in our complaints, these women were claiming that they were invited to a calendar shoot and they dressed in some lingerie and boots and shoes and things of that nature."

"It had nothing to do with this book. It had nothing to do with the University of Louisville. It had nothing to do with prostitution."

The plaintiffs' attorneys say they've extended the time the defendants have to respond to the lawsuit before they will begin asking for evidence.

They are seeking punitive damages against Powell, co-author Dick Cady, and the book's publisher, the Indianapolis Business Journal.

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