Floyd Mayweather Jnr and Manny Pacquiao are settling a federal defamation case in Las Vegas, clearing a key hurdle to a long-awaited bout between two top fighters who’ve traded verbal jabs for years but have never met in the ring.
Terms of the pretrial agreement cited in documents filed on Tuesday in US District Court in Las Vegas are confidential, said Malcolm LaVergne, a lawyer representing Floyd Mayweather Jnr’s father in the case.
LaVergne said documents filed under seal ask US judge Larry R Hicks to dismiss the lawsuit, and that others involved in the case were preparing a public statement. Documents filed publicly said each side would bear its own attorney fees and costs.
“The matter has been resolved,” LaVergne said. “Any alleged terms of the resolution would be strictly confidential. Floyd Mayweather Sr is very happy that this lengthy case has finally come to a conclusion.”
Pacquiao filed the lawsuit in December 2009 seeking unspecified damages based on allegations that Floyd Mayweather Jnr defamed him by suggesting Pacquiao used performance-enhancing substances. Pacquiao denied Mayweather’s claim.
In a statement released on Tuesday through the mediator in the case, the Mayweathers said they “wish to make it clear that they never intended to claim that Manny Pacquiao has used or is using any performance-enhancing drugs, nor are they aware of any evidence that Manny Pacquiao has used performance-enhancing drugs”.