Trump-appointed judge rules in second deported illegal migrant case

A second U.S. judge in Maryland ordered the Trump administration to return another man who was deported from the U.S. to El Salvador last month under the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) — the latest case in a high-profile legal battle playing out in federal courts across the country.

U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher, a Trump appointee, on Wednesday ruled that the Trump administration violated a settlement agreement the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reached last year with a group of young asylum seekers when it deported a 20-year-old man, referred to in court filings as “Cristian,” to El Salvador last month.

He was part of a group of migrants who had entered the U.S. illegally as unaccompanied children and who later filed asylum claims to remain in the U.S.

DHS agreed in the settlement that it would refrain from deporting any of the individuals in the class until their asylum claims could be fully adjudicated by a U.S. court.

Gallagher ruled that the government breached that agreement when it deported Cristian, a member of the class, and ordered that they return him to the U.S. 

News of the case and settlement in question was first reported by ABC News. 

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Gallagher stressed in her ruling that, unlike other court challenges to Trump’s deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, this one centers on a “breach of contract” by the government. 

Her ruling also alluded to the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an alleged MS-13 member living in Maryland who was deported to El Salvador last month. U.S. officials have resisted court orders to facilitate his return to the U.S.

In response to this, Gallagher specifically tasked the Trump administration in her ruling with “making a good faith request to the government of El Salvador and to release Cristian to U.S. custody for transport back to the United States to await the adjudication of his asylum application on the merits by USCIS.”

The Trump administration, meanwhile, told the court it had determined that Cristian was eligible for removal under the Alien Enemies Act because he had been arrested and convicted for cocaine possession earlier this year.

They told the court that his designation as an “alien enemy pursuant to the AEA results in him ceasing to be a member” of the class that had negotiated a settlement. 

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That agreement did not appear to hold water with Gallagher, who ordered the government not to remove any other members of the class until their asylum claims are properly adjudicated.

“Therefore, under the plain terms of the Settlement Agreement and fundamental tenets of contract law, removal from the United States of a Class Member, including but not limited to Cristian, without a final determination on the merits by USCIS on the Class Member’s pending asylum application violates the Settlement Agreement,” Gallagher said.

She also granted a temporary restraining order to another member of the class, an 18-year-old referred to as “Javier,” whom counsel for the group said was in “imminent danger” of being deported earlier this month, as ABC reported. 

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Gallagher agreed that Javier was covered by the settlement with the government and blocked his removal from the U.S.

DA fires back after Newsom points finger for plan to release illegal immigrant felon early

Orange County, California, District Attorney Todd Spitzer said there was not a “plea deal” made in the case of an illegal immigrant convicted of manslaughter in the death of two teens after new scrutiny over the man’s early release from a California prison.

“A convicted felon who was twice previously deported is being released after serving just a fraction of his sentence for killing two 19-year-olds because California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature refuse to hold criminals accountable,” the Republican said in a news release Wednesday.

“This was not a plea deal. This was a defendant who pled to the court and was sentenced by a judge under California law, over the objection of Orange County prosecutors, who unsuccessfully argued for the maximum sentence.”

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“California’s creative concoction of good time, education and other credits has resulted in criminals being released quicker than ever before, fulfilling Gov. Newsom’s plot to empty California’s prisons and put dangerous and violent felons back on the street,” Spitzer added.

Oscar Eduardo Ortega-Anguiano was driving drunk and high and speeding at nearly 100 mph on the 405 freeway in Orange County in November 2021, when he crashed into a car carrying 19-year-old Anya Varfolomeev and Nicholay Osokin. Both were killed and burned alive. In the spring of 2022, he was convicted of two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

The victims’ families were notified on Easter Sunday that Ortega-Anguiano would be released early on July 19, more than six years before his 10-year sentence is up.

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However, after Fox News’ reporting, Democratic Gov. Newsom’s office said it would comply with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer and transfer him into federal custody. The Department of Justice announced it was filing federal charges against him, and border czar Tom Homan said his agency would do everything possible to keep him in custody.

“After being deported in 2013, this individual unlawfully re-entered the US & committed heinous crimes. A GOP DA then gave him a plea deal instead of pursuing 2nd-degree murder. [California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation] will again coordinate with ICE — as they have w/ 10,000+ inmates — to transfer him before release,” the governor’s press account tweeted on Wednesday afternoon. 

In response to Spitzer’s comment, the governor’s office told Fox News on background that district attorneys get a say in what charges are prosecuted in cases. The governor’s office said it was the Orange County District Attorney’s office that dropped great bodily injury enhancements and other charges. Still, it does not play a role in the fact that the individual was scheduled to be released several years sooner, which could have been a part of the state’s credit system to get out early. 

“For safety and security reasons, CDCR cannot provide information on an incarcerated person’s release date or location in advance of their release. Incarcerated persons may earn credits for participating in rehabilitative programming, which may move their parole dates to an earlier date,” the corrections department previously told Fox News.

TOP TRUMP OFFICIALS FILE CHARGES AGAINST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT AFTER FOX NEWS EXPOSES EARLY RELEASE PLANS

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On Thursday morning, Bill Essayli, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, told “America’s Newsroom” why the DOJ is pursuing federal prosecution.

“This is what happens when you have an open border policy like we did in the prior administration. But those days are over. Under this administration, our borders are closed,” Essayli said.

“I’ve made it a top priority in my office, and I know throughout the United States, to enforce our immigration laws. So this defendant, he’s not gonna get free. He’s not going to be deported. He’s coming to my jurisdiction, and we’re gonna prosecute him. And once he’s convicted, he’s gonna spend many years in federal prison, and then he’ll be deported again.”

Wave of Senate Dems calling it quits blamed on ‘fallout from Biden Effect’

The so-called “Biden effect” appears to be a factor in congressional longevity after Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., announced he would not seek re-election after nearly four decades in Congress.

In 2024, President Joe Biden was politically pushed out after a disastrous debate performance against President Donald Trump in favor of his decades-younger deputy, Kamala Harris.

Since then, several senators — mostly Democrats — and many above private-sector retirement age, have announced their retirement.

“This is fallout from the ‘Biden Effect,'” said Rutgers University political scientist Ross Baker. “It contaminated old Democrats.”

Durbin, 80, and Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., 78; Tina Smith, D-Wis., 67; and Gary Peters, D-Mich., 66, as well as Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., 83, all announced their exit in 2025.

Prior to Biden’s infamous debate, several 2024-cycle Democrats — now-former Sens. Benjamin Cardin of Maryland, 81; Tom Carper of Delaware, 78; Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, 74; and Democrat-turned-independent Joe Manchin of West Virginia, 77 — all declared their exits.

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Durbin’s seat has already been targeted by up-and-coming Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, 20 years his junior — who announced a bid shortly after he announced his retirement.

Of the members still seated in Congress, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., 74, is potentially facing a heated primary in 2028 from the likes of progressive star Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., 35.

After Schumer faced intense backlash from his own party for ultimately supporting the GOP’s government funding bill earlier this month, Ocasio-Cortez’s name returned to the discussion as a young upstart potentially taking out the old guard.

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Schumer saw his worst polling within the Empire State in 20 years, according to a Siena College survey, with the Brooklynite 10 points underwater following the funding bill debacle.

Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez’s favorables are 47%-33% in New York, up about 10 points from 2021.

A renewed push for older Democrats to pass the torch came when Democratic National Committee vice chair David Hogg launched a project to recruit and bankroll primary opponents for older Democratic incumbents.

“Today’s party politics has an unwritten rule — if you win a seat, it’s yours for life. No one serious in your party will challenge you. That is a culture that we have to break,” Hogg, 25, wrote on his political website, Leaders We Deserve.

The oldest member of Congress — Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, at 91 — is the rare example of a lawmaker who has not been in the retirement discussion due to the “Biden effect” or any other phenomenon.

On the left, the same appeared to be true for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who — though older than Biden — was contrasted with him on an energy and cognitive level throughout the campaign season.

Sanders has signaled he may seek to serve a fourth term in 2030, when he will be 89, according to the Burlington Free Press. “Friends of Bernie Sanders” has already been listed on a Federal Election Commission filing for the 2030 sweeps.

McConnell, the former Republican leader, has stepped aside from leadership and was replaced by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., nearly 20 years younger.

During a 2024 press availability, McConnell appeared to freeze up while speaking, though staffers later suggested he was fine. He has also announced his retirement after 40 years in the Senate.

Rep. Andy Barr, 51, and former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, 39, jumped into the fray to succeed the octogenarian Republican.

Of the oldest sitting senators not yet mentioned, Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, will be 82 by his 2026 potential re-election bid. Fox News Digital reached out for comment from the Gem State senator.

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On the flip side, even some of the youngest Senate Democrats are seeing their re-election prospects heavily challenged.

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., is facing potential Republican challengers in what is now a swing state. 

While none have declared their candidacy, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene — who would have the stated backing of President Donald Trump — as well as Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter and Gov. Brian Kemp are all said to be formidable potential rivals, according to several reports.

Fox News Digital reached out to a representative for Biden for comment on the moniker “the Biden effect.”

Model left traumatized and in therapy after cosmetic procedure goes horribly wrong

Linda Evangelista’s botched CoolSculpting experience left the model in therapy.

Evangelista chose to undergo the non-invasive body contouring procedure, which is supposed to get rid of stubborn fat, back in 2015. However, her decision to try out the fat-freezing procedure would change her life forever.

The model experienced a permanent negative side effect from CoolSculpting that left her body “brutally disfigured.” Evangelista’s procedure left hardened fat in different areas — including her abdomen, thighs and under each armpit.

“I have to go through therapy to like what I see when I look in the mirror, and I still don’t look in the mirror,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “I didn’t want to see myself because I didn’t love myself or like myself.”

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Evangelista isn’t the first to undergo cosmetic procedures to change her body or slow down aging. The model is also willing to admit she’d do it again if there were “no repercussions.”

“I used to ask myself all the time, ‘Would you drink the magic potion knowing it comes with these repercussions?’ Obviously, no, because you saw the repercussions,” she told the outlet.

“But if there were no repercussions, of course you’d drink the magic potion if you could afford it, and it’s there for you, and other people have used it successfully.”

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Through therapy, Evangelista has worked to overcome negative thoughts about her body and find peace with the way she looks now.

“I’m doing the work, and I’m trying to get to the place where I like myself, flaws and all, and trying to love myself,” she said.

After “doing the work,” Evangelista admitted she’s now more comfortable with the idea of aging.

“I don’t care how I age,” she explained. “I just want to age. It doesn’t have to be gracefully. I really, really, really don’t want to die. I have still so much to do. I’m finally getting comfortable with myself and with everything, and now I want to enjoy it.”

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The model revealed in a 2021 Instagram post that a CoolSculpting procedure left her “brutally disfigured” after hiding her body from the world for five years. Evangelista admitted at the time that if she had known what she knows now about the “risk” of the CoolSculpting treatment, she would not have done it.

In September 2021, Evangelista filed a lawsuit and sued CoolSculpting’s parent company, Zeltiq Aesthetics Inc., for $50 million in damages. CoolSculpting, an FDA-cleared “fat freezing” procedure, has become popular for being a noninvasive alternative to liposuction. However, Evangelista alleged that she had been unable to work since undergoing seven sessions in a dermatologist’s office from August 2015 to February 2016.

Evangelista later revealed that she had been diagnosed with Paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH), a rare side effect that affects less than 1% of CoolSculpting patients, in which the freezing process causes the affected fatty tissue to thicken and expand.

She has since settled the lawsuit.

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Tim Walz tries to bash Trump admin, history quickly comes back to haunt him

The White House hit back hard Thursday at Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s state of the state address in which Kamala Harris’ former running mate slammed President Donald Trump over his immigration policies and other “chaos.” 

“It’s rich of Tim ‘Jazz Hands’ Walz to decry chaos when he let his largest city burn to the ground while his wife opened their mansion’s windows to savor the fumes,” White House deputy press secretary, Harrison Fields, said in a statement to Fox News Digital, referring to the Minneapolis George Floyd riots of 2020. “Walz also willingly served alongside Vice President Harris, who presided over one of the most chaotic administrations in American history.” 

The former Democratic vice presidential candidate used his state of the state address on Wednesday to criticize Trump and his administration for moving to deport illegal immigrants, including suspected gang members, as well as terrorist sympathizers.

“The president has also chosen, and I stress this, chosen, to tear up the values that once made America the shining light of the world. In this land of the free and home of the brave, we have university students being swept up, shoved into unmarked vans, and fathers being tossed into Salvadorian gulags without a hint of due process,” Walz claimed. 

“I want to be real clear about this. If you say you love freedom, but you don’t believe freedom is for everybody, then the thing you love isn’t freedom, it’s privilege,” the governor said, garnering a standing ovation on the Minnesota House floor.

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Walz appeared to indirectly reference the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia – an illegal immigrant and suspected member of MS-13, which the administration newly designated a foreign terrorist organization. The administration admitted to mistakenly deporting Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, though Trump and federal officials have doubled down on Abrego Garcia’s alleged ties to the violent Mexican gang, as well as a domestic violence case involving his wife claiming he beat her. 

Abrego Garcia was initially suspected of human smuggling during a 2022 Tennessee traffic stop but was not charged. Democrats, categorizing Abrego Garcia as a “Maryland father,” meanwhile, have traveled to El Salvador to visit him while urging the administration to comply with Supreme Court and other court orders instructing that he be returned to the U.S. 

Abrego Garcia was initially held at the El Salvadoran megaprison known as the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), but he has since been transferred to the lower security Centro Industrial Penitentiary facility in Santa Ana, El Salvador. The State Department said in court filings he remains held there “in good conditions and in an excellent state of health.”

Waltz also appeared to excoriate how federal immigration authorities have taken into custody foreign students whose visas were rescinded by the Trump administration for allegedly organizing anti-Israel demonstrations at U.S. college campuses. 

Though Waltz did not mention anyone by name, another group of House Democrats traveled to Louisiana detention facilities holding Tufts University fifth-year doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk and former Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil this week. 

FEDERAL JUDGE ALLEGES ‘WILLFUL AND BAD FAITH REFUSAL’ TO COMPLY IN ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION CASE

The Democratic governor also took jabs at Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, claiming that the Trump administration wants to take Medicaid coverage away. 

“I can’t help but point out that we also gather at a moment of great uncertainty for our nation. And let’s be honest, this uncertainty, this chaos is no accident,” Waltz said. “The President of the United States has chosen, chosen to destroy the federal government’s ability to help people. He literally hired the richest man in the world to take a chainsaw to the basic services that Minnesotans rely on to build better lives. His plan leaves nobody there working to prevent the next pandemic, nobody to pick up the phone at the Social Security office, nobody making sure kids with special needs get the quality education they deserve.” 

Walz also slammed Trump over his reciprocal tariffs policies, alleging the Republican president is out of touch with working-class Americans. 

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“And on an hour by hour, day by day basis, the President of the United States has chosen, chosen to throw our economy into turmoil,” Walz said. “Global markets are teetering on the brink of collapse. Businesses across this country and here in Minnesota are already laying off employees by the thousands. Working people are paying more for basic goods, and if you haven’t checked your 401k lately, don’t do it. So let’s be very clear. None of this had to happen. When the president took office three months ago, there was no reason to throw a wrench in the works and destroy decades of work. But if you listen to anything that comes out of his mouth, one thing has become clear. He’s just plain confused about how the world really works for working people.” 

I’m a mother of two — and I’d be dead if ChatGPT hadn’t found what doctors missed

A mother of two credits ChatGPT for saving her life, claiming the artificial intelligence chatbot flagged the condition leading to her cancer when doctors missed it.

Lauren Bannon, who divides her time between North Carolina and the U.S. Virgin Islands, first noticed in February 2024 that she was having trouble bending her fingers in the morning and evening, as reported by Kennedy News and Media.

After four months, the 40-year-old was told by doctors that she had rheumatoid arthritis, despite testing negative for the condition.

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Bannon, who owns a marketing company, then began experiencing excruciating stomach pains and lost 14 pounds in just a month, which doctors blamed on acid reflux.

Desperate to pinpoint the cause of her symptoms, Bannon turned to ChatGPT, the large-language model made by OpenAI.

The chatbot told Bannon that she may have Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune condition where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the thyroid gland, causing it to become inflamed and eventually underactive, according to Kennedy News and Media.

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Despite reservations from her doctor, Bannon insisted on being tested for the condition in September 2024 — and was shocked to discover that ChatGPT was correct, despite the absence of any family history.

This prompted doctors to perform an ultrasound of Lauren’s thyroid, when they discovered two small lumps in her neck that were confirmed as cancer in October 2024.

“I needed to find out what was happening to me, I just felt so desperate. I just wasn’t getting the answers I needed.”

Bannon claims she would never have found the hidden cancer without the help of ChatGPT, which she credits for helping to save her life.

“I felt let down by doctors,” said Bannon, as reported by Kennedy News and Media. “It was almost like they were just trying to give out medication for anything to get you in and out the door.”

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“I needed to find out what was happening to me, I just felt so desperate. I just wasn’t getting the answers I needed.”

Bannon said she had been using ChatGPT for work. When she asked the chatbot about which medical conditions mimic rheumatoid arthritis, it answered, ‘You may have Hashimoto’s disease, ask your doctor to check your thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO) levels.’”

After her cancer diagnosis in January 2025, Bannon underwent an operation to remove her thyroid and two lymph nodes from her neck. She will now remain under lifelong monitoring to ensure that the cancer doesn’t return, according to the report.

Due to not presenting with typical symptoms of Hashimoto’s disease, Bannon believes her condition, and subsequent cancer diagnosis, would have remained undetected without the help of ChatGPT.

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“I didn’t have the typical symptoms of Hashimoto’s disease — I wasn’t tired or feeling exhausted,” she said, per Kennedy News and Media.

“If I hadn’t looked on ChatGPT, I would’ve just taken the rheumatoid arthritis medication and the cancer would’ve spread from my neck to everywhere else.”

“It saved my life. I would’ve never discovered this without ChatGPT. All my tests were perfect.”

Bannon encourages others to use the chatbot to investigate their own health concerns, but to “act with caution.”

“If it gives you something to look into, ask your doctors to test you,” she suggested. “It can’t do any harm. I feel lucky to be alive.”

Dr. Harvey Castro, a board-certified emergency medicine physician and national speaker on artificial intelligence based in Dallas, Texas, said he welcomes the role of AI tools like ChatGPT in raising awareness and prompting faster action, but also urges caution.

“AI is not a replacement for human medical expertise,” he told Fox News Digital. “These tools can assist, alert and even comfort — but they can’t diagnose, examine or treat.”

“When used responsibly, AI can enhance healthcare outcomes — but when used in isolation, it can be dangerous,” Castro went on. “We must prioritize patient safety and keep licensed medical professionals at the center of care.”

Fox News Digital reached out to OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, for comment.

Governor goes viral for all the wrong reasons after showing off his football skills

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers faced ridicule on social media as he attempted to get his followers hyped for the NFL Draft, which will take place in Green Bay for the first time.

Evers wore a green Packers polo shirt and was seen in a video on Wednesday throwing a football to himself.

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“Go long, Tony,” Evers said in the video before he caught the pass from himself and spiked the ball into the dirt.

Social media had some fun at the Democratic governor’s expense.

Evers later posted videos of himself on the draft stage and meeting with some fans before the event kicked off.

“Wisconsin, we’re here in Titletown! Everyone is jazzed and getting ready for a great first night of the Draft!” he wrote in one post on Thursday.

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“Having a heckuva time in Titletown with a DMD and thousands of my favorite Cheeseheads. See you out here, Green Bay!” he added.

Green Bay was chosen to host the draft for the first time. It is the smallest market in the NFL and is reportedly expected to have around 250,000 come into the city for the event.

The NFL Draft is the first major event to kick off the new season. Despite NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and others just announcing a list of picks made by teams, fans flock to it every year, and it draws a massive audience on television.

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The Packers have the 23rd pick in the first round. Green Bay fans will be waiting a bit until they hear a name called.

SNL star’s surprising response when asked why he didn’t want to play JD Vance

“Saturday Night Live” cast member Bowen Yang told “The View” on Thursday that he felt there was a better person than him to play Vice President JD Vance on the live sketch comedy show and jokingly called him a “pope killer.”

“Is it true that you didn’t want to play JD Vance on the show?” co-host Sara Haines asked Yang.

Yang responded, “I just thought there would be better people for it.”

“It was my impostor syndrome. I was, like, ‘there are better people for this,’” he added. “I worked with an accent coach and had to get it between Ohio and Appalachia with the accent. It’s hard.”

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The co-hosts told Yang that he “nailed it” before he joked, “Look, the guy’s a pope killer.”

The audience and co-hosts broke out into laughter, as Behar added, “He doesn’t mean it literally, he’s talking spiritually.”

Vance visited with Pope Francis on Easter Sunday at the Vatican, one day before he died. Liberal memes have joked Vance bears responsibility for his death.

Haines also asked about other headline-worthy moments from the show as of late, including when country star Morgan Wallen walked off the stage after host Mikey Madison thanked him for being the musical guest.

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“Nothing happened that we knew of, but we got a great meme phrase out of it — ‘Get me to God’s country.’ I think we all get to use it now,” Bowen said. Wallen told his followers after his exit from the stage that he was excited to get home and posted an Instagram story that read, “Get me to God’s country.”

Haines also asked Yang about “White Lotus” actress Aimee Lou Wood’s response to the “SNL” skit that poked fun at her front teeth, which she originally said was “mean and unfunny.” Yang said she and the show had made peace, reiterating they are “huge fans of hers” and that sometimes comedy can go too far in mocking someone.

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Former NFL star addresses bombshell claims in $50M lawsuit, steps away from ESPN

Shannon Sharpe is temporarily stepping away from ESPN after being accused of sexual assault and battery in a $50 million lawsuit filed on Sunday. 

Sharpe, who has denied all allegations against him, released a statement on Thursday. 

“My statement is found here and this is the truth. The relationship in question was 100% consensual. At this juncture I am electing to step aside temporarily from my ESPN duties,” Sharpe wrote in a statement. 

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“I will be devoting this time to my family, and responding and dealing with these false and disruptive allegations set against me. I plan to return to ESPN at the start of the NFL preseason. 

“I sincerely appreciate the overwhelming and ongoing support I have received from my family, fans, friends and colleagues.”

ESPN also released a statement following Sharpe’s announcement, telling Front Office Sports “this is a serious situation, and we agree with Shannon’s decision to step away.”

STEPHEN A. SMITH BREAKS SILENCE ON CO-HOST SHANNON SHARPE’S SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS: ‘SAD SITUATION’

Sharpe was accused of assault, sexual assault, battery and sexual battery by a woman who was 19 in late 2024 and early 2025 when the alleged actions took place. The lawsuit, filed by Tony Buzbee in a Nevada state court, seeks $50 million in damages. 

Sharpe and his attorney, Lanny J. Davis, has denied all allegations against the Pro Football Hall of Famer. Davis also admitted during a press conference that a settlement worth $10 million was offered to the plaintiff in “the last month or so,” but she pulled out. Davis said he and Sharpe were both blindsided by the civil suit. 

An audio clip was recently given to TMZ by Buzbee, which shows a man who appears to be Sharpe saying he would publicly choke the plaintiff. 

“Big black guy chokes small white woman,” the man who allegedly is Sharpe says in the audio clip after a pause. 

“It’s not a good look, Shannon,” the accuser replies. 

Davis previously revealed a string of text messages that were allegedly from Doe, which he says shows a consensual relationship. Davis claims the relationship involved “fantasy” and “role-playing.”

Davis released a lengthy statement, which Sharpe shared on his social media accounts on Monday. In the message, Davis shared the sexually explicit messages. 

Sharpe also released a video on X prior to Davis’ press conference on Tuesday, where he called the accuser’s legal action a “shakedown.” He also mentioned that Buzbee plans to release an edited sex tape to support his client’s claims. 

“This is a shakedown. I’m going to be open, transparent, and defend myself because this isn’t right. This is all being orchestrated by Tony Buzbee,” Sharpe said. “Tony Buzbee targets Black men, and I believe he is going to release a 30-second clip of a sex tape that tries to make me look guilty and play into every stereotype you could possibly imagine.”

NFL HALL OF FAMER SHANNON SHARPE ACCUSED OF SEXUAL ASSAULT, BATTERY IN $50 MILLION LAWSUIT

Buzbee would release a statement after Sharpe’s video message and Davis’ press conference, confirming the latter’s remarks about the previous proposed settlement. He also denied that any video of the plaintiff was altered, saying Sharpe’s claim was “demonstrably false, but also desperate.”

“An incredibly damning video does indeed exist,” Buzbee added in his statement. “The contents of that video speak volumes about Mr. Sharpe and his behavior. That video, which will be played to the jury, is extremely problematic for Mr. Sharpe. Sharpe’s team, as I anticipated, disclosed the existence of this video in an effort to try and get ahead of it that effort will fall flat.”

Buzbee is well known for his settlements won for the women who accused Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual assault. 

“Sharpe’s team is now trying to discredit and dox her. Sharpe and his team are now, as anticipated, also attacking me. We are not going to be deterred by these tactics,” Buzbee wrote in an Instagram caption. 

Davis said in his press conference that a counterclaim will be filed on behalf of Sharpe. 

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Sharpe’s ESPN colleague on “First Take,” Stephen A. Smith, recently broke his silence on the matter, calling it a “sad situation.” He said he spoke with Sharpe, who “emphatically proclaims his innocence.”

“According to Mr. Buzbee, his client emphatically proclaims his guilt,” Smith added on his own podcast. “So where does that leave us? I’d love to tell you I know the answer to that question, but I don’t.”