A judge in Beaufort, N.C., yesterday dismissed a misdemeanor assault charge against Washington Wizards guard Jerry Stackhouse, who was accused last month of grabbing real estate agent Patricia Nagy by the throat following a disagreement over his lease of a summer rental home.

The charges were dismissed at the request of Nagy, according to a clerk at the Carteret County courthouse.

The dismissal comes weeks after Wes Collins, one of Stackhouse's attorneys, acknowledged that the player's representatives were trying to negotiate a financial settlement with Nagy. Collins declined to comment about whether the dismissal was the result of a financial arrangement between Stackhouse and Nagy.

Nagy, 37, told police that on July 13, Stackhouse grabbed her around the neck and pushed her to the ground after the two argued over the length of his stay at a beach house in Atlantic Beach, N.C. Prior to yesterday's hearing, Nagy told David McFadyen Jr., Carteret County District Attorney, that "what she really wanted was an apology from Stackhouse," McFadyen said. Stackhouse accommodated her by writing an apology and sending it to her via McFadyen's office, according to the district attorney.

"[Nagy] said she wanted him to recognize his mistake and to say he was sorry for what he did," McFadyen said. "After that she did not want to participate in the court system any longer."

Stackhouse was not at the hearing yesterday, according to McFadyen, and was unavailable for comment. Nagy did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Stackhouse, 28, and Nagy's lawyers were working on a deal that would require Stackhouse to pay Nagy an undisclosed sum to drop her charges, said sources close to those negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity. Asked whether Nagy could still file a civil suit against Stackhouse, Collins, based in Morehead City, N.C., said: "The entire matter has been resolved."