Who is Michele Evans? Details explored as ex-partner sues Shannon Sharpe amid ongoing se*ual assault case

Michele Evans, or Michele Bundy Evans, is a private citizen who has gained public attention after filing a civil lawsuit against former NFL player and sports media personality Shannon Sharpe. According to Trellis, Indiatimes, and ClutchPoints, defamation and libel, alongside slander and intentional emotional distress, form the basis of the January 2023 complaint filed at the New York Supreme Court.

According to Evans, the public statements made by Sharpe were false and damaging, leading to major harm to her reputation and causing widespread emotional turmoil.

The current case is strictly civil; no criminal charge has been lodged against Sharpe in the current case. The action is for monetary damages for injury that Evans claims she has incurred due to the public statements of Sharpe. It is a class of economic tort, and not a personal injury action or a criminal case.

Context behind the lawsuit

As per the post of Glock Topicz posted on X, and also by reports from Indiatimes, People, and Times Now, Michele Evans sued Shannon Sharpe for defamation in January 2023 due to long-standing complaints dating back to 2010.

According to her complaint, Evans accuses Sharpe of r*pe after a disagreement about his reported infidelity between them. Specifically, Evans alleged that Sharpe overpowered her, forced oral s*x on her, and followed up with vaginal intercourse without consent.

Evans, as per her account, stated that after the alleged attack, Sharpe threatened to “ruin” her reputation if she revealed the incident. Evans applied for a restraining order against Sharpe after the 2010 encounter but withdrew the application later, citing that she did so because she feared for her safety and the well-being of her child.

These prior claims are not the subject of fresh criminal charges, but Evans included them in the present defamation lawsuit to set up the reputational damage she contends she has suffered as a result of Sharpe’s newer public comments. Shannon Sharpe has denied Evans’ claims, declaring them “ridiculous and completely without merit,” and stating that he has had no contact with Evans for decades.

Sharpe's response

Shannon Sharpe and his lawyers vigorously denied all the allegations brought against him by Michele Evans. They have termed her accusations as fabrications and described the lawsuit as an attempt to benefit from Sharpe’s popularity with the public.

According to The Shadow League, Sharpe’s attorney, Vincent Morris, said:

"Michelle Evans’ claims are ridiculous and completely without merit.”

“She could not find a lawyer to take her case, and if you read her complaint, you’ll see it is filled with nonsense. Shannon has had no contact with her for many years, and we understand that she is still on probation after serving three years in prison"

Sharpe continued with his media business activities without criminal charges on these claims.

To date, the defamation lawsuit continues to wait in abeyance before the New York courts of civil procedure. No reported decision, settlement, or dismissal has been made yet.

Distinct from other legal cases

It is appropriate to distinguish Michele Evans’s suit from the other suits brought against Sharpe. As per Indiatimes, ClutchPoints, and Marca, in Nevada, a different woman known as Jane Doe sued Sharpe for sexual assault in a $50 million civil suit. That Nevada case is entirely distinct from Evans’s defamation suit and must not be confused with it.

Shannon Sharpe was sued for defamation, libel, slander, and intentional infliction of emotional distress in January 2023 by Michele Evans. No new charge of s*xual assault is being instituted before a court, but in her complaint, she does allude to s*xual assault claims that were brought before in 2010 to use as context to set up her allegations of injury to reputation.

No criminal charges have yet been filed against Sharpe regarding the case. Sharpe has denied all of the accusations, and the case remains ongoing in the civil court system.

Also read: Why was Shannon Sharpe sued for $50M? Details explored as the former professional football tight end is accused of s*xual assault

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback