Settlement Ends Araiza Dispute with Attorney in Civil Case Over Alleged Rape at SDSU Party

Matt Araiza, now embarking on an NFL career, said this week that he has settled his dispute with the attorney who represents the woman who once accused him of rape.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the former SDSU standout said the agreement was reached over the summer, but declined to disclose the terms.

The attorney, Dan Gilleon, when reached by the publication, did not answer questions about the settlement.

Araiza, a punter for the Kansas City Chiefs, saw his NFL dreams put on hold two years ago after the accuser filed a civil suit alleging that he and other San Diego State football players raped her when she attended a college party while still a minor.

Police began investigating the allegations soon after the October 2021 incident, but they only came to light in August 2022 when the suit surfaced.

Four months later, after prosecutors reviewed the case, the District Attorney’s Office declined to file charges. The decision came too late to salvage Araiza’s first NFL stint, with the Buffalo Bills – the team released him shortly after the accuser’s allegations became public.

Though the criminal matter was laid to rest, the legal wrangling continued last year, as Araiza filed a defamation suit against the woman while looking to speed up a resolution in the original case.

The parties came to an agreement in December, when the woman asked for Araiza to be dismissed from her suit and he withdrew his case against her. The deal, though, left open the possibility that Araiza could pursue legal action against Gilleon. He once described the attorney’s behavior as “unbelievably unprofessional.”

The woman’s case remains in place against four other men. It is set to go to trial in December.