Shannon Sharpe’s $20 Million Defamation Case Dismissed
Shannon Sharpe’s $20 million defamation case has been dismissed.
A woman named Jimalita Tillman sued Sharpe, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, Christian Dear, and Sharpe’s company Shay Shay Media in federal court for having “made and disseminated false and defamatory statements suggesting that I was married and that my husband was filing for divorce” because of her appearance in a viral Usher clip that hit the internet in April.
Tillman released a statement about the case being dismissed, saying that she was “pleased with the outcome.”
“We were able to put this matter behind us without a long-drawn-out court matter,” she explained. “We look forward to future discussions about the positive contributions Mr. Sharpe and I both make to the community. I wish him, his family, and his business endeavors continued success.”
In court documents obtained by Complex on Aug. 1, Tillman called Sharpe and Ochocinco’s comments about her marital status a “false narrative” that was shared “widely across their platforms, reaching millions of followers.” She also alleged that she “made numerous efforts to contact the defendants to request the removal of this false narrative, but these requests were disregarded.”
The dismissal of the case comes at a time when Sharpe probably needs all the breaks he can get. At the end of July, news broke that ESPN cut ties with the commentator just two weeks after he settled a civil sexual assault lawsuit. That means the rumored $100 million contract that he seemed to be preparing to get is officially off the table.
In April, Sharpe was hopeful that he’d be able to return to the network when he announced he’d be stepping away from his duties because of the allegations against him.
“I will be devoting this time to my family, and responding and dealing with these false and disruptive allegations set against me,” said Sharpe in a statement at the time. “I plan to return to ESPN at the start of the NFL preseason. I sincerely appreciate the overwhelming and ongoing support I have received from my family, fans, friends, and colleagues.”
On an episode of the Nightcap podcast after the settlement, Sharpe made a joke about how his “pockets are light.”