The civil lawsuit for rape of a former American model against Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has been dismissed by a US judge, according to a court resolution that the AFP agency reviewed on Saturday.
A Nevada state court judge closed the case Friday over the improprieties alleged by prosecutor Kathryn Mayorga’s attorney, who accused the soccer star of raping her in a Las Vegas hotel in 2009.
The American courts decided in 2019 not to prosecute Ronaldo in criminal court due to lack of evidence. In the civil case, a judge had recommended in October that the charges filed by Kathryn Mayorga, now 37 years old, be filed as they were based in part on illegal documents from the “Football Leaks” that should not have been filed. her property.
The plaintiff’s attorney was declared in “bad faith”
In his recommendations, he accused the young woman’s lawyer, Leslie Stovall, of acting in bad faith in the case. The Nevada federal court followed these recommendations, finding that it had been “apprehended” in “bad faith”.
“Stovall’s repeated use of stolen and confidential documents to support the allegations bears all the hallmarks of bad faith,” he wrote in his decision.
While the court said it “recognizes the “seriousness” for the complainant, it believes that this “misinformation” was so pervasive in the complaint and allegations, “and likely in the memories and perceptions of significant events” of the first model, which any other decision would have been “inadequate”.
The attacker, who currently plays for England’s Manchester United, has always flatly denied the rape allegations and assured that he had a “completely consensual” relationship with the young woman.
In June 2009, the prosecution called the Las Vegas Police Department to report a rape, but they refused to identify her attacker. The case was then closed.
$375,000 offered to whistleblower
Shortly afterwards, a “private mediation” was organized with Ronaldo’s representatives, which led to a financial transaction in 2010: $ 375,000 in exchange for absolute confidentiality about the alleged facts or the agreement, as well as waiving all procedures.
For Kathryn Mayorga’s current attorneys, this agreement is null and void, particularly because of their client’s mental illness at the time and the pressures placed on her. They demanded damages of up to $200 million from Ronaldo.
It was in August 2018 when the accuser contacted the Las Vegas Police Department again asking for her case to be reopened, publicly accusing the footballer for the first time.
The Portugal captain later assured that 2018 had been his “most difficult year on a personal level” as his “honour” had been called into question.
*With AFP; adapted from the original French version
