Sports Analyst and Club Shay Shay host, Shannon Sharpe, responds to allegations through a statement by his attorney, Lanny J. Davis, as he faces a $50 million sexual assault lawsuit from a woman named Jane Doe, filed in a Clark County, Nevada court. Attorney Tony Buzbee and Micah Nash are representing her.
Sharpe’s legal counsel disclosed that the woman’s identity is Gabriella Zuniga, along with graphic text messages she sent to him. Sharpe’s legal counsel asserts that the lawsuit is a blatant and cynical effort to extort millions from Sharpe, rife with falsehoods, distortions, and misrepresentations. Sharpe’s legal counsel also asserted that the video was significantly edited and presented out of context, while the evidence, including text messages, illustrates consensual adult relationships.
Shannon Sharpe’s statement through his legal counsel, Lanny J. Davis, in response to a $50 million civil lawsuit filed against him in a Clark County, Nevada court; Photo Credit: INSTAGRAM/@shannonsharpe84
BACKSTORY
The plaintiff, who was in a relationship with Sharpe for nearly two years, met him at a Los Angeles gym in 2023 when she was 19.
In the lawsuit, Sharpe offered to buy her breast implants in exchange for winning a weight-loss challenge in 2023, leading to the verbally abusive relationship. She accused him of taking control over her schedule and raping her in October 2024 and in January 2025.
She tried ending her relationship with Sharpe after his controversial Instagram Live incident in 2024 involving him engaging in sexual activity.
A LinkedIn page shows a woman by the name of Gabriella Zuniga, who graduated from San Juan Hills High School in San Juan Capistrano, CA, in June 2023, and attends Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, to study commercial music.
An Instagram account with the name of Gabriella Zuniga features a caption that reads:
“I’m not associated with Shannon Sharpe; I’m from Canada!!”
Further details will be provided as more information becomes available.