Columbus Short will evade the long arm of the law, at least for now. The Scandal star won't face criminal charges from the bar brawl last month in which he allegedly left a man bloodied and unconscious, TMZ reports. Instead, the victim of Short's brutal attack hopes to reach a settlement with the actor.
A lawyer for the victim, whose name has not been released, said his client wants to resolve the situation as amicably as possible because he and Short have mutual friends — the altercation reportedly occurred during a family member’s engagement party.
During the March 15 incident, Short and the victim are said to have gotten into an argument that resulted in him telling the actor, “You might be richer than me but I get my girls to buy me everything I want, including your wife.”

According to eyewitnesses, the heated exchange prompted the actor to “sucker punch” the man in the back of the head, leaving him unconscious, bloodied and with a broken nose.
This isn’t Short’s first violent outburst. Earlier this year he was arrested twice for incidents of domestic abuse against his wife, and in 2010, he received three years probation after punching a man during a basketball game, knocking out several of the victim’s teeth.
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(Photo: Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images)