Sonics guard Joseph Forte avoided a harsh sentence during his misdemeanor assault case yesterday afternoon by entering into a court-mandated dispute settlement with the alleged victim.

Accompanied by his attorney Samanta Cabe, Forte, 22, appeared in Orange County District Court in Hillborough, N.C., to answer charges that he punched a man in the face on May 1 during a pickup basketball game on the University of North Carolina campus in Chapel Hill.

Details of the settlement are unknown, but Forte must remain in compliance with the agreement or else he could once again face the assault charge, which has a maximum five-month sentence.

On Oct. 20, a court representative will inform Judge Patricia Devine, who presided over the case, if Forte has remained in compliance with the agreement and the case could be dismissed at that time.

However, Forte's legal troubles will continue. On Oct. 23, he's scheduled to appear in Harford County District Court in Belair, Md., to answer to misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia and possession of a handgun.

Each drug charge carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail and Forte could serve a three-year sentence on the handgun charge.