SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) -A farmer who accused Chicago White Sox shortstop Juan Uribe of shooting him during an altercation last year received a payment from the major leaguer as part of a settlement ending legal action against him, a lawyer for Uribe said Monday.
“The complainant dropped the charges and recognized that Juan was not involved in the incident,” lawyer Maria Luisa Guzman told The Associated Press.
She did not reveal the amount of the payment but another person involved in the case said Uribe paid $25,500. That person, an associate of the victim, spoke on condition of anonymity because there was no authorization to discuss that detail.
District Attorney Robert Lugo said the settlement ended an attempted murder investigation as well as a related civil lawsuit.
The farmer, Antonio Gonzalez Perez, claimed that Uribe shot him and an Italian man on Oct. 13 when the pair walked too close to Uribe’s jeep after an argument in Juan Baron, about 40 miles southwest of Santo Domingo.
Gonzalez was shot in an elbow. The other victim was treated for injuries to his stomach and hands but did not file charges.
Uribe maintained his innocence, suggesting he was falsely accused because he is well known in his native Dominican Republic. He said messengers were sent to his house demanding more than $900,000 before the figure dropped to below $10,000.
The shortstop was never jailed and missed only the first two days of spring training due to his legal troubles.
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