Sports
Widow of Dwayne Haskins wants to dismiss lawsuit in new development after QB’s death
Dwayne Haskins’ widow, Kalabrya Haskins, filed court documents Wednesday to voluntarily dismiss the lawsuit she filed against 14 entities following the late NFL quarterback’s death in 2022, according to USA Today Sports.
Haskins, who played for Washington and Pittsburgh, was struck and killed by a dump truck while walking across a highway outside Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on April 9, 2022.
He was 24 years old.
Kalabrya — who became the personal representative of Haskins’ estate after his death — reached settlements with those involved, and the wrongful death case in Florida is now closed, her attorney, Rick Ellsley, said Thursday.
“All of the settlements that were obtained have now been paid and so now the wrongful death case has been closed,” Ellsley wrote in a text message to USA Today Sports Thursday morning, adding the financial terms of the settlements were “substantial.”
Her attorney did not divulge any specific amounts.
The latest development came more than a year after Kalabrya reached a partial settlement against the driver, the owner and the broker of the dump truck that struck and killed Haskins.
After that, Kalabrya settled with a number of other defendants.
There were three active defendants at the time Kalabrya filed to dismiss the wrongful death lawsuit on Wednesday.
Kalabrya filed her initial lawsuit in Broward County, Florida, on April 10, 2023.
In it, Kalabrya alleged Haskins — a former first-round draft pick — was drugged, blackmailed and robbed before he was struck and killed by a dump truck while attempting to cross a highway.
In a 911 call on the morning of Haskins’ death, Kalabrya said the quarterback was “stuck” on the side of a Florida highway and “had to go walk and get gas.”
Kalabrya, who was not with Haskins at the time of his death, explained to the dispatcher that her husband “was stranded by himself and he was walking,” and that he would call her back after he had finished putting gas in his vehicle.
A toxicology report stated Haskins was legally drunk, with medical examiner reports indicating he was triple the Florida legal limit of .08 to drive.
Haskins also tested positive for ketamine and norketamine, drugs used by medical professionals as anesthetics, but can also be used recreationally.
In a separate filing earlier this week, Kalabrya’s attorneys disputed claims made in a separate lawsuit filed by Haskins’ parents, Dwayne Haskins Sr., his wife, Tamara, and their daughter, Tamia, alleging Kalabrya harassed them in the aftermath of the quarterback’s death, according to USA Today Sports.
In their filing, Haskins’ family alleged that Kalabrya harassed them when they used his name, image and likeness on social media and challenged a non-profit foundation that they made in the quarterback’s name.
Kalabrya, who played basketball at Michigan State, is the sister of free agent WNBA guard Kysre Gondrezick.
A former Rose Bowl MVP and Heisman Trophy finalist at Ohio State, Haskins was selected by Washington with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
He was a member of the Steelers at the time of his passing.