Shaun White's sexual harassment accuser -- his former bandmate Lena Zawaideh -- is furious he referred to the case as "gossip" ... and she's carefully unloading on him, through her attorney, in a way to avoid violating the terms of her settlement.
"Yesterday, Shaun White used the word 'gossip' to refer to the past sexual harassment lawsuit by his former drummer ... our client," says Lena's lawyer, Lawrance Bohm.
He continues ... "There are powerful legal forces at play which prevent Ms. Zawaideh from speaking about the allegations and ultimate outcome of the sexual harassment case."
"Before Mr. White made his comments, [Lena] believed that this matter was in the past and she was happy to put the situation behind her ... Unfortunately, by his recent comments and conduct, Mr. White has minimized the problem of sexual harassment in this country."
"Mr. White's comments, on the world stage, directly impugn the character of Ms. Zawaideh. No woman wants to be called a 'gossip' or a liar by the harasser. Minimizing sexual harassment maximizes the harm to Ms. Zawaideh."
He concludes ... "Hopefully, before our country declares someone 'the best of the U.S.' there will be investigation and due diligence."
As we reported ... White apologized on the "Today" show Wednesday for dismissing his sexual harassment case as "gossip" when an ABC reporter asked him about the allegations possibly tarnishing his legacy. The question came up at the media conference following Shaun's gold medal run on the men's half-pipe Tuesday.
We broke the story ... White was sued by Zawaideh in August 2016 for allegedly sexually harassing her for years, and had text messages to back it up. She claimed during her 7-year run with the band, White would text her penis pics, sex videos involving fecal matter and demanded she change her hairstyle.
White denied the allegations, but ultimately settled the case with Lena in May 2017.