Carolina Panthers defensive star Greg Hardy had domestic abuse charges dismissed today in Charlotte after the alleged victim, Nicole Holder, refused to show up for court.
Hardy was convicted on counts of assault and communicating threats by a district judge last summer, but was assigned a jury trial after appealing that conviction. Prosecutors said that multiple attempts to contact Holder have failed, and so the case was dismissed this morning before the trial even started.
Hardy was a stand-out on the Carolina Panthers defensive line. In 2013, he racked up 15 sacks for the Panthers. He was limited to just two games in 2014 as the NFL tried to figure out a way to deal with Hardy and Ray Rice, both of whom were facing domestic abuse allegations around the beginning of the season. Hardy would later be suspended for the remainder of the Panthers’ games.
With NFL free agency coming up, it was in Hardy’s best interest to have this matter settled as soon as possible.
Holder did testify at Hardy’s intial trial saying that Hardy slapped her, choked her, and threatened to kill her. It is also being reported that Hardy reached some sort of civil settlement with Holder, though details of the settlement are not yet known.