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WWE's Matt Riddle Has Lawsuit for Alleged Sexual Assault Dropped by Candy Cartwright
July 13, 2021
Female wrestler Candy Cartwright dropped her lawsuit against WWE star Matt Riddle, according to TMZ Sports.
Cartwright's attorney, John Chwarzynski, provided a statement on the decision and said, "The parties have put this in their past and are focused on the future."
In a series of tweets she posted in June 2020, Cartwright said she, Riddle and others were traveling in a van in May 2018. She alleged that Riddle had asked her to have sex with him. When she refused, Cartwright said Riddle allegedly "grabbed me by my throat, choked me" and forced her to perform oral sex.
Riddle's lawyer, Daniel Rose, responded to the allegations without naming Cartwright and said they were "completely false." Rose added that an "independent female performer" had been stalking the Riddle family:
WWE said at the time it took the allegations "very seriously" and would "[look] into the matter."
Riddle addressed the situation in July 2020 and admitted to having an affair with Cartwright. He denied assaulting Cartwright.
"I have never, in my entire life, sexually assaulted a man, woman or anybody," he said.
Riddle also claimed Cartwright was beginning to harass him and his friends and attempting to ruin his career with the assault allegations.
The allegations surfaced amid the wider #SpeakingOut movement within the wrestling industry, which saw women discuss incidents of sexual harassment, misconduct and assault they said they experienced. The movement wasn't limited to WWE, with performers from promotions around the world implicated.
Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp reported in October that Cartwright had formally sued Riddle, WWE, Gabe Sapolsky and Evolve Wrestling and was seeking $10 million in damages from each defendant. The presiding judge dismissed WWE and Sapolsky as defendants in March.
According to TMZ Sports, it's unclear whether Cartwright and Riddle reached a settlement before she chose to withdraw the suit.