LAWRENCE, Kansas, June 16, 2008 -- Sherron Collins, the University of Kansas's leading returning basketball player, had a civil court judgment ruled against him in a lawsuit involving an assault.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Douglas County District Court Judge Jack Murphy signed a journal entry Monday morning that grants judgment for damages in excess of $75,000 to a woman who claims Collins exposed himself and rubbed against her on May 18, 2007 at the on-campus Jayhawker Towers apartments.

The woman, who worked at the Jayhawker Towers, claims she repeatedly told Collins to stop.  In the lawsuit, she says she was unable to continue work because of the incident and claimed damages for humiliation, severe emotional pain and mental anguish.  She also claimed to have incurred medical bills and suffered permanent medical and emotional damage.

Collins, a sophomore from the Chicago area, was served notice of the lawsuit on May 14, but failed to file a legal response.

In a statement released by the KU athletic department, Collins said, "I am aware of the allegation and cooperated with the investigation last summer.  I am 100 percent innocent of any inappropriate behavior."

I was not fully aware of what was expected of me in the civil suit and what my responsibilities were in that matter.  I’m sorry and I intended no disrespect to the court.  I will do my best to correct this and to prove that this allegation is not true."

In the same statement, coach Bill Self is quoted, "This is a very serious allegation that we have not taken lightly.  We were made aware of the allegation over 13 months ago.  Sherron fully cooperated with the investigation and maintains that the allegation is false. Based on the information I have received, Sherron has my full support.

"With regards to the civil lawsuit, Sherron has said he didn’t fully understand the legal process.  While I just became aware of the court’s actions, I am very disappointed in the fact that Sherron didn’t follow through on his responsibilities regarding the civil suit, I am confident he will work diligently to address this situation."

A hearing will be held July 8 to determine the amount of damages, which will be in excess of $75,000, according to Monday's journal entry.

No criminal charges have been filed.