Lawyers for Jarryd Hayne could enter settlement talks with his rape accuser to end her long-running damages claim against the ex-NRL star.
Prosecutors have dropped criminal charges against the former rugby league fullback over claims he raped the woman at her Newcastle home on the night of the 2018 NRL grand final.
Hayne was twice found guilty during a six-year legal battle that ended in June when an appeal court quashed his latest convictions following a jail stint.
On Wednesday, a NSW Supreme Court civil case against the 36-year-old was adjourned for one week to allow parties time to discuss holding an "informal settlement conference".
The case was brought by the woman in 2021, but it was stayed several times due to ongoing criminal proceedings against Hayne.
The decision by prosecutors not to pursue Hayne for a fourth trial meant the civil case can now proceed, the woman's lawyer Mary Keaney told a directions hearing.
In April 2023, a jury in Hayne's third trial found him guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent and he was sentenced to a maximum of four years and nine months in prison.
But the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal quashed Hayne's convictions on the basis that a judge erred in not allowing the complainant to be further cross-examined during the trial.
Three separate criminal trials were told the woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, changed her mind about having sex with Hayne after realising he had a taxi waiting outside her house.
Hayne's quashed convictions followed a hung jury in his first trial in 2020 and a previous appeal overturning the 2021 guilty verdict from his second trial.
The 36-year-old played 11 games for Australia and 23 matches in the NSW State of Origin side in a career that also included a stint with the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL.
The civil case will return to court on September 4 for directions.
Australian Associated Press
