It also stated that she was 20 and he was 54 at the time. They started having “a rocky consensual relationship that lasted nearly two years,” the lawsuit stated. Initially, Sharpe offered the woman $10 million dollars, but it was declined.
The woman who was called Jane Doe in the lawsuit was represented by attorney Tony Attorney firm eventually settled for an undisclosed amount. “After protracted and respectful negotiations, I’m pleased to announce that we have reached a mutually agreed upon resolution,” Buzbee wrote. “All matters have now been addressed satisfactorily, and the matter is closed. The lawsuit will thus be dismissed with prejudice.”
Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, Sharpe announced that he was temporarily stepping away from his job as a commentator on ESPN’s “First Take” but would return in time for the 2025 NFL season. However, after the settlement, Sharpe was officially let go by his employers at ESPN.
He hasn’t spoken publicly about the settlement but had something to say about his firing at ESPN. “They did what they needed to do, and I’m at peace with that,” Sharpe stated on a July 30 episode of his Nightcap podcast. He also mentioned the timing of the announcement, because it came out the same week that his older brother Sterling Sharpe will be inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“I found out this information a little earlier in the week, and really the only thing that I really asked is, ‘Guys, could we wait until Monday? My brother’s going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I really want it to be about him and I want it to be about my family,’ ” Sharpe said on the Nightcap podcast. “I said, ‘This coming out will overshadow everything he’s worked his entire life for.’ And, unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way.”
Now, to add to that disappointment, news has surfaced that Sharpe has been hit with a second lawsuit. This time it has come from a Chicago woman who went viral for her antics at an Usher concert.
According to The US Sun, Jimalita Tillman is suing Sharpe for $20 million. Tillman – who is said to not only be suing Sharpe, but also his ‘Nightcap’ podcast co-host Chad Johnson and its production company, Shay Shay Media.
Allegedly she claims that the hosts knowingly peddled a false narrative about her marital status. The allege lawsuit comes from an interaction Tillman had with Usher at one of his concerts. The incident caused a stir on social media at the time and went viral on the internet.
During the popularity of the video, Sharpe and Johnson joked that Tillman’s ‘husband’ was going to divorce her after the viral clip. It is reported that Tillman claims this statement was false.
According to court papers, it is reported that the lawsuit states
“On April 2, 2025 I participated in a fan engagement moment at a Usher Raymond concert where I interacted with the artist as a selected audience member.”
‘Following this event, the defendants made and disseminated false and defamatory statements suggesting that I was married and that my husband was filing for divorce due to my participation in this audience experience, I am not married, nor am I currently going through a divorce.’
It continues: ‘I was not married at the time of the fan participation moment during the Usher concert.
‘The defendants’ false narratives were shared widely across their platforms, reaching millions of followers, viral spread and refutation efforts, despite my clear and public reputation of the false narrative.’
A glance at Tillman’s Instagram page reveals that she is the global director for the Harold Washington Cultural Center. She is also the mother of a child prodigy. According to her page, her daughter became the youngest person to receive her doctorate at the age of seventeen. No comment has been given by Sharpe, Johnson, or his Nightcap team regarding this current lawsuit.