The woman suing
Michael Jordan for paternity and child
support -- claiming he fathered her 16-year-old son -- has dismissed her
case against the NBA star ... but he might not be out of the woods yet.
TMZ has learned
Pamela Smith has filed legal
documents in Georgia asking the judge to dismiss her case against MJ --
and her request was granted without prejudice (meaning she can refile at
a later time if she wants to).
It's unclear why Pamela wanted the case dismissed -- considering she had recently asked the court to order a DNA test ASAP.
It's
possible MJ and Pamela reached some sort of settlement ... or agreed to
halt legal action while they try to work things out. It's also possible
she simply decided to walk away thinking she would lose in court. We
simply don't know.
Either way, MJ has succeeded in taking the situation out of the public eye ... at least for now.

Pamela's
attorney Randy Kessler tells TMZ ... she dropped the case on his advice
that "dismissal at this time, without prejudice, is in her son’s best
interests."