Former West Ham chairman David Sullivan is suing the BBC at the High Court over “defamatory” allegations made in a Panorama documentary.
Mr Sullivan’s lawyers have confirmed that he is suing the corporation for more than £150million.
In June, the BBC and The Times published the accounts of seven women who claimed Mr Sullivan engaged in sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour.
The claims date back to the 1980s and 1990s when he owned the Daily Sport and the Sunday Sport tabloid newspapers.
Mr Sullivan has previously said he “categorically denies” the claims.
He resigned as joint chairman of West Ham before the allegations were published to fight the “factually incorrect and entirely false, decades-old allegations concerning my personal life”.
On Thursday, a spokesperson for GSP Law, which represents Mr Sullivan, said it had been instructed to pursue a High Court claim against the BBC for more than £150m in damages over its publication of the allegations.
Essex Police said it had “received some contact” following the publication of the allegations and that inquiries were ongoing.
The Independent Football Regulator said in August that its inquiries into Mr Sullivan’s suitability under its Owners, Directors and Senior Executives (ODSE) regime were “active and ongoing”.
He remains West Ham’s second-largest shareholder, holding 40% of the club.