As first reported by J.R. Lind of the Nashville Post & Nashville Scene, Predators forward Mike Ribeiro and his spouse Tamara have settled their pending civil case. Previously, the magistrate judge had set a deadline for July 31st to either resolve the case or petition for the case to stay in Texas instead of having the venue changed to Virginia (where the alleged act took place).
Like most out of court settlements in civil cases, no terms have been disclosed.
A few days after Ribeiro signed his new contract, both parties met with the mediator as scheduled. The document (as shown below) was submitted yesterday to the court.
Days after the statement from the plaintiff, both sides met in a conference. From the document filed to the court on June 26th:
On Tuesday, June 23, 2015, at approximately 1:30 p.m., a face to face conference occurred between lawyers for the Plaintiff and Defendant wherein many of the legal and factual disagreements involved in this lawsuit were thoroughly discussed. The Plaintiff and Defendant, through their lawyers, have voluntarily agreed to go to mediation with the Honorable Glen Ashworth in Dallas on July 6, 2015 to determine whether their differences can be resolved. Currently, the Plaintiff has been ordered to plead further facts, if any, in support of its position that venue is allegedly proper in the Eastern District of Texas on or before July 2, 2015.
The Plaintiff and the Defendant would respectfully request a thirty (30) day extension of time to respond to the Court’s order regarding venue while they pursue alternative dispute resolution. The Plaintiff and Defendant agree that a reasonable extension of time would aid the parties in preparing for mediation before the Court makes a determination regarding venue. This request is not sought solely for purposes of delay, but so that the parties can work toward, if possible, a resolution
This request was granted, with the deadline of July 31st.
On June 30th, David Poile said this on Nashville’s 102.5 The Game:
We were aware of the thing you were talking about before we signed him last year. This happened in 2012, in Dallas. We’ve talked to the NHL law enforcement agencies, and the NHL, if you will, and the Ribeiros themselves. We’re as comfortable as you can be in a situation.
“It’s a civil case. You can’t comment on it, and I don’t want to comment on it either. It’s a legal process. This is obviously real unfortunate when somebody says something and, again, it’s allegations. Again, I talked to Mike a couple of weeks ago about these situations, and they’re trying to resolve this as best possible. We had a lot of loooong discussions with Mike and Tammy about the troubles he’s had in his past. The addictions and that type of situation. All I can tell you is that all of those things happened before we had Mike. He’s been a great teammate and a very productive player. He and his wife and family have been very good in our community.
“I knock on wood that Mike and his family can keep it going as a family and as a father. We’ve told Mike that we have his back, but he has to be a model citizen.
“We’ve all given people second chances in our lives. If you remember Jordin Tootoo, a very popular player, we were very instrumental in getting Jordin into the NHL substance abuse program. And when he came here last year, he hugged me for a long time.
“Life isn’t perfect and we’re not perfect individuals. We’re just doing our best, trying to run a good organization with good people.”
On the morning of July 1st, Ribeiro was signed to a two-year extension with $7 Million.
While this issue is settled legally, this will continue to hover over the minds of many fans around the NHL and Nashville alike. A settlement was always the most likely destination, but not what many supporters have been calling for. It’s not the best look for either the team or the player, or the fanbase who are likely put in a bad spot as well. While there is no one person that’s bigger than the franchise (yes, even David Poile and Shea Weber), this issue will hang over the team throughout this year and next year.
Aside from those angry at Ribeiro, the front office and general manager will take most of the heat for this. They made a choice to re-sign Mike Ribeiro, and they knew about the case. I won’t feel sorry for the front office for catching hell over this.