Shannon Sharpe has settled the $50 million lawsuit filed against him.
Sharpe, 57, was accused of rape in a lawsuit filed in April by a woman identified only as Jane Doe. She requested $50 million in damages and accused Sharpe of raping her twice.
“On April 20, 2025, The Buzbee Law Firm filed a complaint in Nevada making several allegations against Shannon Sharpe on behalf of our client,” the woman’s lawyer Tony Buzbee said in a statement to Us Weekly on Saturday, July 19. “Both sides acknowledge a long-term consensual and tumultuous relationship. After protracted and respectful negotiations, I’m pleased to announce that we have reached a mutually agreed upon resolution. All matters have now been addressed satisfactorily, and the matter is closed. The lawsuit will thus be dismissed with prejudice.”
Sharpe was accused of committing assault, sexual assault, battery and sexual battery against the unidentified woman. In court docs obtained by NBC Sports, Jane Doe said she met Sharpe in a gym when she was 20 and that he told her he would “buy her fake t**s” if she won a weight-loss contest.
She also said the pair had “a rocky consensual relationship” for two years and further accused Sharpe of recording their sexual activity without her permission. She also alleged that he would then show the recordings to other people.
Sharpe has denied all of the allegations against him. On April 21, Sharpe’s attorney Lanny J. Davis told Us Weekly the woman’s lawsuit was “filled with lies, distortions, and misrepresentations — and it will not succeed.” The sports commentator also accused her of committing “a blatant and cynical attempt to shake down Mr. Sharpe for millions of dollars.”
“He stands firmly by the truth and is prepared to fight these false claims vigorously in court,” Davis said in a statement. “He looks forward to vindication through due process and a judgment based on the facts and the law.”
Davis also released alleged text messages exchanged between the pair that he said would prove “this was a consensual relationship that included role playing, sexual language and fantasy scenarios.”
“I’m going to be open, transparent and defend myself because this isn’t right,” Sharpe said April 22 via Instagram. He then said of Buzbee, “I believe he’s going to release a 30-second clip of a sex tape that tries to make me look guilty and play into every stereotype you could possibly imagine.
“That video should actually be ten minutes or so,” he added. “Hey, Tony, instead of releasing your edit, put the whole video out. I don’t have it, or I would myself. You know what happened and you’re trying to manipulate the media.”
Sharpe also revealed the woman’s name, adding, “What they’re getting 1752983658 is sued for defamation and trying to take me down. My career is all about real talk and honesty. I know my family and fans know exactly what this is about, and I’m going to be out there telling you whatever I need to say, just like I always do. I love all you guys.”
Buzbee released his own response via Instagram the same day.
“On the one hand Mr. Sharpe and his lawyers claim that the case filed by Jane Doe is meritless, yet on the other hand they now have disclosed that Mr. Sharpe offered Jane Doe $10 million in writing not to file her lawsuit. That is a true statement,” Buzbee wrote. “Jane Doe was in fact offered $10 million to settle but rejected that offer, choosing instead to proceed with litigation. Sharpe’s team is now trying to discredit and dox her. Sharpe and his team are now, as anticipated, also attacking me. We are not going to be deterred by these tactics.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
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