The $100 million defamation fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Business Insider is over.
The lawsuit, filed just over a year ago, has been voluntarily dismissed with prejudice, meaning Mayweather cannot refile the same claims. Counterclaims that were made by Business Insider have also been permanently dropped, and each side will handle their own fees and costs. The judge signed an order dismissing the case on Tuesday.
“We’re pleased that Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has dropped his lawsuit and that we can definitively put these meritless allegations to rest,” a Business Insider spokesperson said in a statement to Front Office Sports.
A representative for Mayweather said in a statement that he has “resolved his claims against Business Insider. He’s focused on his business ventures and scheduled fights in the near future.”
Mayweather, who has never lost a bout and boasts career earnings of more than $1.1 billion, sought at least $100 million in damages in his lawsuit, lodged in New York federal court.
The suit centered around reporting by reporter Daniel Geiger about real estate deals Mayweather publicly discussed, including an agreement to buy a 62-building Manhattan apartment portfolio. Geiger reported last March that “there is no evidence there has been a sale.”
The lawsuit alleged that Geiger “embarked on a campaign of harassment and defamation, characterized by aggressive and misleading journalism that not only distorts the truth but seems driven by a deep-seated bias against Mr. Mayweather’s success.” It also claimed Geiger “refused” to review documentation proving the deals in question happened, and that he actively sought to “undermine” Mayweather’s business ventures and “humiliate” him publicly.
Business Insider disputed the allegations, calling them “dishonest” in court filings. It also argued that Mayweather failed to show there was “actual malice,” which is the necessary standard to prove defamation.
Mayweather, 49, had announced his retirement from pro boxing in 2017, but he un-retired in February of this year. He has a few bouts planned, including a rematch with Manny Pacquiao that will take place at the Sphere in Las Vegas and an anticipated exhibition with Mike Tyson.
