Judge Dismisses Assault Charges Against Rich

Country singer John Rich has escaped conviction after a Nashville, Tennessee judge dismissed assault and harassment charges against him.

In May (09) the Big & Rich star surrendered himself to police to face the charges, which stemmed from a March (09) alleged altercation with Jared Ashley, a former competitor on U.S. reality TV show Nashville Star.

The contestant sued Rich over claims he punched him in the face. Rich then countersued, seeking compensation for defamation.

Rich was subsequently handed a settlement offer to pay Ashley $2.9 million (£1.8 million) to have the charges dropped but turned it down, maintaining his innocence.

And a judge agreed with the singer - throwing all the criminal charges against him out of court after a string of witnesses insisted Rich never punched Ashley.

The pair's civil cases against each other continue.