Warning: This post contains spoilers for this week’s “Matlock.”
“Matlock” has revealed the fate of David Del Rio’s Billy Martinez.
Thursday’s episode confirmed that Billy won’t return to the Jacobson Moore law firm, after Del Rio was fired in October amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Early in the episode, Matty was shocked to learn that Billy had accepted a severance package to leave the firm after taking time away following his girlfriend’s miscarriage. (The introduction of efficiency expert Gwen last week hinted that staff buyouts were on the way.)
Matty was concerned about how Sarah would react because she and Billy were so close, but Sarah seemed to shrug off the news, saying she spoke to him on the phone and “it’s the perfect time for him to bail,” pointing out that she’s on Julian’s team now anyway. She added that Matty and Olympia would be getting a new floater, too, in the form of lawyer bro Hunter, played by Henry Haber.
But when Hunter later casually mentioned that Billy doesn’t work there anymore, Sarah lashed out at him, and she later teared up watching Matty and Olympia joke around with Hunter. “It’s just getting replaced so quickly,” she explained to Julian. “And then Billy leaving the way that he did… I guess I just didn’t realize how important my work family was to me.” (Del Rio did not appear on-camera in this week’s episode.)
Del Rio was fired in October
David Del Rio, who was a series regular on “Matlock” as associate Billy Martinez, was fired after an investigation into an alleged incident. No details about the incident have been officially released, but TMZ said at the time that Del Rio was accused of sexually assaulting his co-star Leah Lewis on Paramount property. (Del Rio and Lewis’ characters Billy and Sarah were often paired together on the show as the firm’s young associates.)
The legal battle over Del Rio’s dismissal continues, however. A second investigation into the incident was conducted, per Deadline, including a new interview with Del Rio, but producers CBS Studios reaffirmed that Del Rio’s dismissal was justified. This week, Del Rio and his representatives initiated arbitration proceedings against CBS Studios “to address false and misleading allegations that caused substantial professional and reputational harm.” When reached by TVLine, CBS declined to comment as they do not discuss legal matters.