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Wednesday, July 23, 1997

Irvin, Williams settle defamation lawsuit against television station

By MADELINE BARO Associated Press Writer

DALLAS (AP) - Cowboys players Michael Irvin and Erik Williams have settled their defamation lawsuit against a Dallas-Fort Worth television station.

A station official and Nova Bonnett, a secretary for the players' attorney Peter Ginsberg, confirmed the agreement, but would not disclose details of the settlement with KXAS reporter Marty Griffin and Lin Television Corp., parent company for KXAS.

"We have reached a resolution with Erik Williams and Michael Irvin," said Doug Adams, KXAS president and general manager, in a brief statement. "We are pleased with that, and the terms of agreement don't allow any further comment."

Dallas radio station KKDA quoted unidentified sources saying the settlement calls for the players to split a payment of at least $2 million.

The defamation suit stemmed from the reporting of sexual assault allegations made against the two by Nina Shahravan. The former topless dancer told police that Irvin held a gun to her head while Williams and a third man raped her. Police cleared the players, saying her accusations were unfounded. But her lawyer has said Shahravan stands by her contention that she was raped. She now faces trial for a misdemeanor perjury charge.

In February, Williams sued the station for defamation and filed a federal suit accusing the Dallas Police Department of violating his civil rights. Irvin later joined the suits. The players didn't seek specific damages, and the federal suit is pending.

Griffin reported Shahravan's sexual assault allegations on Dec. 31, a day after she made a report to police. Then, the Dallas Police Department named Irvin and Williams as suspects at a news conference.

Police have since adopted stricter rules about identifying suspects. The policy calls for police officials to wait for a charge or arrest before releasing names.

The settlement announcement came one day after Irvin and Williams left training camp early to participate in mediation with the station's lawyers.