Shannon Sharpe and his legal team have settled their second multimillion-dollar lawsuit in less than a month.
A $20 million lawsuit filed by Jimalita Tillman against Sharpe, his Nightcap co-host Chad Ochocinco, and Sharpe’s Shay Shay Media has been dismissed with prejudice by a U.S. District Court in Illinois, meaning the case cannot be refiled.
The dispute stemmed from an incident at a Usher concert, where the singer fed cherries to Tillman in the front row. In her defamation complaint, Tillman claimed that Sharpe and Ochocinco spread “false and defamatory” statements on their talk show, implying her husband was filing for divorce after her “fan engagement moment” with Usher went viral.
Tillman said she was not married at the time, is not married now, and is not going through a divorce.
Jimalita Tillman who is suing Shannon Sharpe, Chad Johnson and Shay Shay Media says all she wanted was a retraction and removal of a NightCap clip claiming her husband divorced her after an Usher concert. She says she’s never been married and filed her lawsuit in April after they… pic.twitter.com/dwCiN7R8WN
— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) August 4, 2025
The settlement terms were not disclosed. Sharpe addressed speculation on Instagram Friday night, writing, “There are several inaccurate media reports that speculate on monies being paid to Miss Tillman. These statements are completely false.”
Sharpe’s attorneys declined to comment.
Just days before the case was resolved, Tillman appeared on The Morning Hustle radio show and seemed ready to take the matter further, criticizing Sharpe’s production company for failing to fact-check. “As a private citizen, my rights were encroached upon,” she said. “This is wrong, and something needs to happen about this.”
After the dismissal, Tillman told a Fox News she was satisfied with the resolution.
“I am pleased with the outcome,” she said. “We were able to put this matter behind us without a long-drawn-out court matter. We look forward to future discussions about the positive contributions Mr. Sharpe and I both make to the community. I wish him, his family, and his business endeavors continued success.”
The agreement comes on the heels of Sharpe settling his $50 million rape lawsuit filed against him by a former ex-girlfriend, who is now a retired OnlyFans model.