Mediation was used to reach a settlement in the lawsuits against Brisbane NRL forward Matt Lodge.  The lawsuits were filed after Lodge went on a rampage during a game in New York.  As a result of the mediation, Lodge has taken out a bank loan to pay the victims of the 2015 event.  The settlement was confidential.

The settlement helped Lodge avoid a year in jail in the United States.  The lawsuit filed against him was for $1.6 million in damages.  He was told by his team that the issue needed to be resolved before they would resign him.

Lodge was not present when the Broncos team boss and Lodge’s father met with the victims of the rampage.  The deal was reached, but both parties wanted to keep the details of the settlement confidential.  However, they did announce the money will be paid in a single installment. 

According to Lodge’s father, he is hoping the settlement will give the victims closure, but not do much in terms of helping his son’s reputation in the community.  Lodge issued an apology and stated that he now understood the impact of his actions.  He also said that he thinks about his behavior in New York every day and he believes the lessons he has learned have helped him to be a better father and better all-around person.

The Broncos are waiting for the NRL to give them the go-ahead to begin contract negotiations with Lodge and the team is hoping to extend the existing one-year contract for Lodge.