MIAMI -- A woman who obtained a restraining order earlier this year against New England Patriots star Randy Moss has requested that the order be dissolved and the case dismissed, court records show.
Rachelle Washington, 35, filed papers March 3 with the Broward County Circuit Court clerk's office requesting that the case be closed. The restraining order had required the All-Pro wide receiver to stay at least 500 feet from Washington.
Moss denied he harmed Washington as she claimed at her Florida home on Jan. 6, or that he prevented her from seeking medical attention. Moss did acknowledge there was an "accident" involving Washington, but would not be more specific.
Attorneys for Moss and Washington could not immediately be reached by telephone Tuesday for comment. A spokesman for the clerk's office said a judge must agree to the dismissal request but that is generally considered a formality.
The restraining order was issued Jan. 14 after Washington accused Moss of "battery causing serious injury" in a civil domestic violence case. It came just as the Patriots were making their playoff run to the Super Bowl and angling for an undefeated season, which ended in a loss to the New York Giants.
Days before the AFC Championship Game, Moss said the claims were "false allegations" and that Washington had demanded a payment of "six figures" before taking legal action. He acknowledged knowing the woman for about 11 years.
"In my whole entire life of living 30 years, I've never put a hand on one woman, physically or in an angry manner," Moss told reporters in mid-January.
It was not immediately clear Tuesday whether Washington's request to dismiss the case was the result of an out-of-court settlement or agreement with Moss.
Moss has had other off-the-field problems in his 10 years in the NFL, including a 2002 incident in which he bumped a traffic control officer with his car and another in 2001 when he verbally abused corporate sponsors on a team bus. But since his acquisition by the Patriots last April, he has been viewed as a team leader.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
