The lawsuit against punter Matt Araiza, who was cut by the Buffalo Bills after the legal action, has been dropped.
The civil suit against Araiza, known as the “Punt God,” was is in the process of being dismissed.
Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports also reported Araiza will drop his defamation suit against the accuser.
Breaking: A woman who once alleged being sexually assaulted by Matt Araiza has withdrawn her civil suit against the former Bills punter. Araiza, who was previously cleared by prosecutors, is making no payments or admitting guilt. https://t.co/j3i6mH6Z5Q
— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) December 12, 2023
Update:
A settlement has been reached in the ongoing civil cases surrounding Matt Araiza in which Jane Doe will dismiss him from the civil case filed in Aug. 2022, while Araiza will then dismiss the case filed against her for defamation, per a settlement agreement obtained by ESPN.
— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg) December 12, 2023
Per Yahoo:
“The win is bittersweet,” Araiza’s lawyer, Dick Semerdjian, stated. “Matt has been forced to defend himself for the last 16 months against false accusations and a campaign to ruin his career in the NFL. He will never get this time in his life back.”
Araiza has not been signed by any other team after the Bills cut him after the 2022 preseason.
Yahoo reported numerous teams were reluctant to sign Araiza with the civil suit pending.
“We cannot overstate the importance to our system of justice of the presumption of innocence,” Semerdjian stated. “Matt has always maintained his innocence, despite the public outcry that resulted when he was falsely accused of crimes and civil assault. Thankfully, there was extensive evidence that was key to securing Matt’s voluntary dismissal from this lawsuit.
“Matt was and has always been innocent,” Semerdjian continued. “The case is over, and Matt has prevailed. He now has the full intention of returning to the NFL in hopes of resuming a successful punting career.”
