Portugal and Juventus striker Cristiano Ronaldo has denied allegations made by an American woman that he raped her, threatened her and bought her silence in 2009, claims a report in German newspaper. The validity of that out of court settlement is now being questioned in state of Nevada in the United States. In response, Ronaldo, through his lawyers, has decided to sue the media outlet making the claims.
German news magazine Der Spiegel reports Kathryn Mayorga, 34, was raped by one of the biggest football stars in the world in Las Vegas in 2009. Later, Ronaldo paid her $375,000 to keep her quiet and never speak about that night. Her lawyer is now questioning the validity of that out-of-court settlement in a civil complaint in Nevada.
Nine years later, Mayorga has spoken publicly for the first time about the encounter with the Portuguese footballer. She has revealed her version of incidents that took place in his hotel suite.
Ronaldo has denied the allegations stating the sex was consensual as per him. However, Mayorga’s lawyer has claimed in a document which narrates Ronaldo’s description of what transpired that night. In the said document, the footballer is quoted as saying, “She said ‘no’ and ‘stop’ several times.”
As per the Mayorga, following the sex, Ronaldo asked her if she was in pain, “By this time, he’s (…) on his knees. He says the 99 percent thing.” He insisted, Mayorga adds, that he was a “good guy” except for the “one percent.”
“The purpose of this lawsuit is to hold Cristiano Ronaldo responsible within a civil court of law for the injuries he has caused Kathryn Mayorga and the consequences of those injuries,” Mayorga’s lawyer Leslie Mark Stovall told Der Spiegel.
Ronaldo’s lawyer Christian Schertz said in a statement, as reported by news agency Reuters, the report was “an inadmissible reporting of suspicions in the area of privacy”, and that he would seek legal redress for his client from the magazine. The agency representing Ronaldo, however, didn’t divulge on the claims made by the newspaper report.
Schertz said he would seek compensation from Der Spiegel for “moral damages in an amount corresponding to the gravity of the infringement, which is probably one of the most serious violations of personal rights in recent years.”
In response, Der Spiegel claims they approached Ronaldo and his team but were not provided with a response. “We sent written questions, to which there were no answers. Nobody sued us in connection with earlier Ronaldo reports,” said the Editor-in-Chief.
Ronaldo was accused of rape one and a half years ago, also reported by the German outlet, but has maintained his innoncence since.