Cat Zingano has opted to drop a lawsuit filed against Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry after 17 months of litigation.
‘Alpha’ has faced the proverbial who’s who of women’s MMA superstars including Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, and Amanda Nunes. Last year, Zingano was approached by Berry to play a role in the film Bruised which starred Berry as a single mom and down-on-her-luck professional fighter. The motion picture hit No. 1 on the popular streaming service Netflix.
Zingano Withdraws Legal Action Against Berry After Nearly a Year and a Half
Zingano alleged that she had accepted a role in the film, but in doing so, was forced to reject a fight offer from the UFC. Shortly after, ‘Alpha’ was released from the promotion. Because she was no longer employed by the UFC, Zingano was dropped from her role in Bruised as Berry was adamant about having an active member of the roster in the feature film. Zingano then filed the lawsuit alleging that her release from the promotion was the direct result of agreeing to be in Berry’s film which, in the end, never came to fruition.
“Berry told Zingano that Zingano inspired Berry and that Zingano had to be in the film,” the suit noted. “Berry concluded the meeting by telling Zingano not to make any plans because production of the film needed to start soon.”
Bad start for Halle Berry's upcoming MMA movie "Bruised" as Cat Zingano has filed a law suit. She alleges she was offered a role that went unfulfilled leading to loss of earnings. pic.twitter.com/OkW3pMjrDo
— Andy Hickey MMA (@AndyHickeyMMA) August 17, 2021
Halle Berry’s lawyers argued that Cat Zingano was not released from the UFC due to her agreement to be in the film, but due to her own struggles inside the Octagon, losing four of her last five bouts before exiting the promotion in 2019.
17 months removed from when the lawsuit was first filed, MyNewsLA reported that Zingano’s lawyers have filed a request to dismiss the suit “with prejudice” which would prevent Zingano from refiling the suit at a later date. It is unknown what prompted ‘Alpha’ to withdraw, but it is possible that the two parties agreed to settle out of court.
Since her UFC exit, Cat Zingano has competed under the Bellator MMA banner. Debuting for the promotion in 2020, Zingano has scored three straight victories in the cage, her most recent coming against Pam Sorenson in June. ‘Alpha’ is expected to challenge women’s MMA GOAT Cris Cyborg for the Bellator Featherweight Championship later this year.
