Brett Ratner drops defamation lawsuit against rape accuser

Oct. 3 (UPI) -- Producer and director Brett Ratner dropped his defamation lawsuit against a woman who accused him of rape after she said her memory of the alleged incident is not clear.

In a Facebook post written in October 2017, Melanie Kohler accused Ratner of raping her 12 years prior. She said Ratner "preyed on me as a drunk girl [and] forced himself upon me."

Ratner strongly denied the allegation and filed a defamation lawsuit against Kohler in federal court in Hawaii. The lawsuit sought punitive damages and reimbursement for legal costs.

But on Tuesday, Kohler's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, said Kohler's memories of the incident "are cloudy and unclear," according to Deadline.

"I have been honored to represent Melanie Kohler and we are pleased that Mr. Ratner agreed to dismiss this case," Kaplan said. "Cases like this are very difficult, especially when the events happened more than a decade ago and memories are cloudy and unclear. The public conversation about this case has become very painful for Melanie. This result will allow Melanie to move on with her life and spend more time with her family."

Kaplan, a co-founder of the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund, added: "This is a win for women everywhere. We are proud of our client, who stood by her statement and stood up for herself in court, and appreciate Mr. Ratner dismissing this case."

Ratner's attorney Andrew Brettler told the Hollywood Reporter that no money was exchanged in a settlement prior to dropping the lawsuit.

"I'm happy that the matter has been resolved," Brettler said.