A judge has thrown out a lawsuit filed by a woman who alleged that New York Jets cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, who played at the University of Cincinnati, defamed her on social media.
The lawsuit, which was filed Dec. 31 in Morris County, New Jersey, was dismissed with prejudice in June by New Jersey Superior Court Judge Jonathan Romankow. The dismissal with prejudice means it can’t be refiled.
Romankow found that the state’s “anti-SLAPP Law” applied and that the woman who sued Gardner failed to make an adequate legal claim. The state law, according to Gardner’s attorneys, was designed to protect against lawsuits that have “no demonstratable merit” and impair a person’s free speech rights.
Under the 2023 law, Gardner’s attorneys are entitled to fees and costs, which they say total $105,000. The woman’s attorneys are challenging that amount.
“We are pleased with the court’s decision dismissing this action,” one of Gardner’s attorneys, Benjamin Levine, said in a statement. “Ahmad remains focused on his teammates, coaches and the upcoming season, and we are glad his focus can remain on the field and not the courtroom.”
Posts on X led to lawsuit
The case surrounded a battle of “lighthearted” posts on X in August 2024 between a Mississippi woman, Kalli Mariakis, and Gardner, who is now the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback. Mariakis, an avid fan of the Jets’ division rivals, the Buffalo Bills, had posted about Gardner’s skills as a player.
Gardner’s reply suggested that Mariakis, a married mother of four who works as a medical technician, had a profile on “OF,” meaning OnlyFans. The site is used by men and women to post sexually explicit content and advertise their availability.
Attorneys for Mariakis said that Gardner’s statement had led to harassment of her teenage daughter at school and questions about her marriage by co-workers.
Levine said in a motion to dismiss the lawsuit that the X posts were “a lighthearted exchange” and that Gardner and Mariakis were only “trolling each other.”
Levine noted that Mariakis responded to Gardner’s post with “crying laughing emojis.”
In one post, she wrote: “Why don’t you send him the link, then? He’s waiting! I would love to know what it is myself! Nice comeback @iamSauceGardner but what a shame it’s a big fat lie.”
“Reasonable readers would not have taken Gardner’s comment seriously,” Levine said in the motion.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Judge throws out lawsuit involving ex-UC player ‘Sauce’ Gardner’s OnlyFans comment
Reporting by Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
