SHANNON Sharpe and the woman who accused him of sexual assault have settled their $50 million civil lawsuit.
Sharpe, who has since stepped away from his role on First Take, denied the accusation against him and slammed the suit as a “shakedown.”
The lawsuit, filed in April by a woman identified only as Jane Doe, accused Sharpe of manipulation, beating, and sexually assault.
Jane Doe alleged Sharpe, 57, raped her in late 2024 and again in early 2025 when she was just 20 years old.
The suit claimed that the two had dated for about two years before the alleged sexual assault.
Sharpe has maintained his innocence and asserted that the relationship was “100% consensual.”
SHOCKING U-TURN
On Friday, Tony Buzbee, Jane Doe’s attorney, announced on Instagram that his client and Sharpe acknowledged their “tumultuous relationship” and reached a mutual agreement.
“On April 20, 2025, The Buzbee Law Firm filed a complaint in Nevada making several allegations against Shannon Sharpe on behalf of our client,” Buzbee captioned his post on Friday.
“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.”
The terms of the settlement have not been made public.
Sharpe has not publicly addressed the settlement.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Sharpe’s attorney for comment.
SHARPE’S OTHER ACCUSER RESPONDS TO SETTLEMENT
Michele Evans, Sharpe’s initial accuser who filed a lawsuit against him in New York in December 2023, told The U.S. Sun that the settlement means the First Take star will not be held accountable.
“He’s free from being held accountable, even if it wasn’t like he is going to jail, he was still being accountable by taking it to trial and possibly letting everybody see the video of that she has of him doing this,” Evans said of the agreement.
“It’s like you (referencing Jane Doe) have a video. How do you take back something that you have a video of, and you’ve told everybody you have a video of it.
“How do you take that back? I don’t know. That’s confusing.”
JANE DOE’S ALLEGATIONS
In her lawsuit, Jane Doe claimed that she met Sharpe at a gym in Los Angeles in January 2023, and from there he engaged in a relentless pursuit of her.
The woman said she began a “rocky” consensual relationship with Sharpe that lasted two years, according to court documents.
“Defendant Shannon Sharpe, a man who is accustomed to getting what he wants, completely fails to understand this basic concept,” the lawsuit, filed in Nevada, alleged.
Sharpe clapped back at the lawsuit as a “shakedown, orchestrated” by Buzbee.
“I’m going to be open, transparent, and defend myself because this isn’t right. This is all being orchestrated by Tony Buzbee,” Sharpe said in an Instagram Live video in April.
“Tony Buzbee targets Black men,” Sharpe said of the Houston-based attorney.
In response to the lawsuit, Lanny Davis, Sharpe’s attorney, disclosed to reporters that his client was willing to settle the case before Jane Doe filed her suit.
Sharpe was willing to settle for “tens of millions of dollars,” but an agreement was not reached, Davis said at the time.
Davis said he and Sharpe were optimistic they would strike a settlement, but “without any warning” the lawsuit was filed and the nature of the charges went public.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/sport/14758631/shannon-sharpe-rape-lawsuit-settled-first-take/
