Matt Riddle Files Civil Lawsuit Against "#SpeakingOut" Accuser, Accuser Reacts To Petition Dismissal

By Marc Middleton

WWE SmackDown Superstar Matt Riddle has filed a civil lawsuit against the woman he previously had an affair with, Candi Cartwright (Samantha Tavel), who previously accused him of sexual assault during the "#SpeakingOut" movement earlier this year.

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We noted on Wednesday night how Riddle recently dropped his petition for a restraining order against Cartwright, just says before a court hearing on a motion to dismiss. You can read full details on the restraining order petition and Riddle's voluntarily dismissal by clicking here.

Riddle's lawyer, Daniel Rose, issued a statement this afternoon to announce the civil suit, and comment on the petition that was dismissed. Rose noted that Riddle is filing the suit for Cartwright's "continued false and defamatory statements that our client sexually assaulted her." The full statement reads like this:

"On July 14, 2020, our client Matthew Riddle only sought a cyberstalking injunction against Samantha Tavel. The Court set it for hearing as they found probable cause for the matter to be heard. It was represented to our client and our firm that Ms Tavel had moved on with her life and our client would no longer need to continue with the cyberstalking injunction. Our client then dismissed the cyberstalking injunction (without prejudice) which left all of his legal remedies open and allowed for closure. Today, our client has elected to file a civil suit against Ms Tavel for her continued false and defamatory statements that our client sexually assaulted her. No further statements will be made on social media on this matter at this time."

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Cartwright has not responded to the civil suit announcement, but she did post a tweet in response to the reports on Riddle's petition dismissal. She noted that she has received help from the TIME'S UP Legal Defense Fund, which connects sexual misconduct victims with legal and PR assistance. She also thanked everyone for their support.

She wrote, "I would like to thank @TIMESUPLDF for helping me through these difficult months and helping me push back against these claims. I also want to thank everyone who supported me in this. I appreciate every single one of you."

Riddle previously released a video denying the sexual assault allegations, but admitted to the affair with Cartwright. You can see that video at this link. You can read the statement issued through Riddle's lawyers earlier this summer, along with the last photos Cartwright released of the two together, at this link.

Stay tuned for more. You can see the full tweets from Rose and Cartwright below:

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