David Del Rio has reportedly initiated arbitration proceedings against CBS Studios following his firing from the hit series Matlock last fall. The actor, who played Billy Martinez on the Kathy Bates-led reboot, was escorted off the set in October 2023 after an investigation into an incident involving a co-star.
Reports say David Del Rio has filed arbitration claim against CBS after firing
David Del Rio’s employment agreement with CBS requires disputes to be handled through private arbitration rather than public litigation, which is why the matter is now reportedly headed to a confidential legal proceeding rather than court.
His attorney, Shawn Holley, confirmed the arbitration filing in a statement to Entertainment Weekly. “David Del Rio has initiated arbitration against CBS Studios to address false and misleading allegations that caused substantial professional and reputational harm.” The legal team promises to bring forward evidence that wasn’t considered during the initial investigation.
“At the arbitration, Mr. Del Rio will present real-time text communications and evidence that directly contradicts prior public characterizations of the interaction at issue,” Holley explained. “This evidence was not fully considered before adverse employment action was taken.”
Del Rio had already completed work on seven Matlock Season 2 episodes when the studio removed him following an allegation of sexual assault involving his co-star Leah Lewis. Del Rio has previously denied the allegation, per TMZ. CBS reportedly reopened its investigation into the matter last month but ultimately stood by the original decision to remove Del Rio from the show.
While Lewis hasn’t directly addressed the situation, she posted a cryptic message on her Instagram Stories shortly after news of Del Rio’s exit broke. His character’s absence has been addressed on screen in subtle ways. In the December 4 episode “Prior Bad Acts,” Billy made his last appearance. The midseason finale, “Call It a Christmas Gift,” wrote him out by having his character take a “personal day” after his on-screen girlfriend experienced a miscarriage.
As of now, there hasn’t been an official comment from David Del Rio or CBS.
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