The seven suspects accused of kidnapping a man to retrieve an alleged Shaquille O’Neal sex tape are in the clear. A Los Angeles judge threw out the case against the seven men during a preliminary hearing on Tuesday. The move came after the District Attorney made the surprise announcement that they no longer had confidence in the alleged victim, Robert Ross, because of his testimony and behavior outside of court. Lawyers for the defendants asked the judge to immediately dismiss the case, and the judge obliged.

Ross previously claimed he had a sex tape that showed the former NBA star cheating on his then-wife Shaunie O’Neal. He alleged that Shaq hired seven men to kidnap and beat him until he handed over the footage. The District Attorney became worried about Ross’ allegations when he confessed in his testimony to lying about having a sex tape. Was some one paid off?