Las Vegas police have re-opened a sexual assault case involving international soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo that occurred nearly a decade ago, after a Nevada woman filed a lawsuit against the athlete, claiming that he raped her in 2009.
According to the Associated Press, the woman – 34-year-old model Kathryn Mayorga – further claimed that Ronaldo sent “fixers” to obstruct the criminal investigation and tricked her into keeping quiet about the incident for $375,000.
In her lawsuit, Mayorga claims that she met Ronaldo at the Rain nightclub at the Palms Hotel and Casino on 12 June 2009. The then-24-year-old was allegedly invited up to the soccer star’s suite with a group of people “to enjoy the view of the Las Vegas strip” before she was allegedly invited into the hot tub.
The lawsuit says that Ronaldo barged in on Mayorga as she was changing and demanded oral sex after exposing himself. According to Mayorga, the five-time world player raped her when she refused him.
Mayorga’s lawyers state in court documents, “Cristiano Ronaldo pulled the plaintiff into a bedroom and on to a bed and attempted to engage in sexual intercourse,” while Mayorga allegedly tried to cover herself while screaming at him. Her lawyers added:
“When Cristiano Ronaldo completed the sexual assault, he allowed her to leave the bedroom stating he was sorry, he was usually a gentleman.”
Ronaldo, however, has dismissed the rape accusation as “fake news,” and said that the pair had consensual sex.
US publication CBS News says Cristiano said, “Fake. Fake news. You want to promote by my name. It’s normal. They want to be famous, to say my name. But it is part of the job. I am a happy man and all good,” after news of the lawsuit broke.
Mayorga’s attorneys have responded to deny that the incident is “fake news”.
Documents submitted to the court by Mayorga’s lawyers claim that Mayorga went to report the attack to the police on the same day and that she asked for a “sexual assault test,” that was administered to her by a medical facility.
Police spokesman Aden OcampoGomez said that Mayorga refused to inform police about where the assault occurred in 2009 and refused to cooperate with identifying the suspect other than to mention that he was a European soccer player.
Mayorga was later paid $375,000 as part of a confidentiality agreement but details of the agreement subsequently leaked out.
The police spokesman said: “As of now this is an ongoing investigation and no further details are being released at this time.”
According to Mayorga’s attorneys, their client was left with “intrusive thoughts, an increased sense of extreme anxiety and fearfulness, complete helplessness and passivity” during the case years ago because she only had a lawyer with limited legal experience by her side then. The lawsuit further claims:
“The psychological trauma of the sexual assault, the fear of public humiliation and retaliation and the reiteration of those fears by law enforcement and medical providers left plaintiff terrified and unable to act or advocate for herself.”
Besides rape, the plaintiff has accused the soccer star and those working for him of battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, coercion and fraud, abuse of a vulnerable person, racketeering and civil conspiracy, defamation, abuse of process, breach of contract, and negligence.
The accuser has asked for general damages, special damages, punitive damages and special relief – each in excess of $50,000 – besides demanding interest, lawyer fees and court costs.
Unmarried Ronaldo is the father of four children. He has full custody of his eldest, an eight-year-old boy, who was born in 2010 to a woman who has not been identified to the media. The athlete became a father to twins in June 2017 – five months before his current girlfriend gave birth to his youngest child, a baby girl.
