The woman who accused former Aztec punter and NFL hopeful Matt Araiza of raping her at an off-campus party has agreed to dismiss him from the civil suit, attorneys on both sides of the case confirmed Tuesday.
No money will change hands, and Ariaza agreed to drop his defamation countersuit against her. The agreement leaves him open to pursue a potential suit against the woman’s attorney.
Her lawsuit against four other defendants accused of gang rape remains and is set for trial in February. Those defendants, all former Aztec football players, have previously said any encounters with the woman were consensual.
The dismissal of Araiza likely clears the way for the former San Diego State University football star to pursue another shot at the NFL.
His attorneys issued a statement Tuesday saying the “win is bittersweet.”
“Matt has been forced to defend himself for the last sixteen months against false accusations and a campaign to ruin his career in the NFL. He will never get this time in his life back,” reads the statement from attorneys Dick Semerdjian and Kristen Bush.
They also said there was “extensive evidence that was key to securing Matt’s voluntary dismissal from this lawsuit. Matt was and has always been innocent.”
The woman’s attorney, Dan Gilleon, said the defamation suit filed against her was “legally baseless.” Also, her first legal bill topped $20,000, and she “simply cannot afford to defend herself.”
“Plus she has been beat down by Araiza’s PR campaign and is frankly over it,” he said in a text.
Araiza was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in April 2022, then cut from the team when the lawsuit was filed four months later. Now 23, he’s been outside the league for more than a year.
Araiza has long and ardently maintained he was not present when, according to the woman, she was led into a bedroom and gang raped by other men. He did admit the two had engaged in sex earlier in the evening, outside the home during a October 2021 weekend party.
The woman went to police the Monday after the party. The woman, who was 17 years old and in high school at the time of the incident, told San Diego police detectives she cooperated during the bedroom encounter to avoid being harmed.
After a months-long police investigation, prosecutors declined to file criminal charges. The woman’s lawsuit was filed several months before prosecutors announced they would not bring charges.
