Director Brett Ratner has decided to drop a defamation lawsuit he filed against Melanie Kohler, who Ratner said accused him of rape in a Facebook post.
Paperwork filed in federal court in Hawaii states that the suit has been dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be filed again.
“IT IS HEREBY STIPULATED AND AGREED, by and between the parties hereto, through their respective undersigned counsel, that this action and all claims asserted herein shall be and hereby are dismissed with prejudice pursuant to Rule 41(a)(l)(A)(ii) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure,” the court papers read. “This stipulation disposes of all claims and all parties, with the respective parties to bear their own attorneys’ fees and costs.”
In a statement to TheWrap on Tuesday, Kohler’s attorney Roberta Kaplan said, “This is a win for women everywhere. We are proud of our client, who stood by her statement and stood up for herself in court, and appreciate Mr. Ratner dismissing this case.”
In his own statement, Ratner told TheWrap, “I’m happy that the matter has been resolved.”
Ratner filed his suit in November 2017, alleging that Kohler stated in an Oct. 20 Facebook post that Ratner “was a rapist on at least one night in Hollywood about 12 years ago,” and that he “preyed on me as a drunk girl [and] forced himself upon me.”
The suit contended that “the Defendant’s aforementioned statement is entirely false, fabricated and fictional.” The lawsuit also asserted that Kohler’s statement was published “with knowledge of its falsity, maliciously, and with the intent to harm plaintiff’s reputation and standing.”
The defamation lawsuit came on the same day that the Los Angeles Times reported that six women accused Ratner of sexual misconduct ranging from harassment to assault, among them actresses Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge.
Henstridge told the L.A. Times that as a 19-year-old model, she fell asleep watching TV with Ratner and some friends at his New York City apartment. When she woke up and tried to leave, she said that Ratner “blocked the doorway with his body and wouldn’t budge.”
“He began touching himself,” and then forced her to perform oral sex, the Times wrote.
“He strong-armed me in a real way. He physically forced himself on me,” Henstridge, now 43, told the newspaper. “At some point, I gave in and he did his thing.”
Singer denied the accusers’ accounts in a letter to the Times.
“I have represented Mr. Ratner for two decades, and no woman has ever made a claim against him for sexual misconduct or sexual harassment,” Singer said in the letter. “Furthermore, no woman has ever requested or received any financial settlement from my client.”
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.