Sam Borden details the accusations faced by Cristiano Ronaldo and discusses what might happen next with regard to the investigation.
The lawyer of Ronaldo’s accuser gives an update on why the case against the footballer has been reopened.
ESPN FC’s Craig Burley recaps Juventus’ comfortable win over Young Boys, powered by Paulo Dybala’s hat trick.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Las Vegas-based attorney said his soccer star client “vehemently denies all of the allegations” made in a lawsuit filed last month, and he described the encounter in a Las Vegas hotel room in June 2009 as “consensual in nature.”
In a lawsuit filed in Clark County (Nev.) District Court last month, Kathryn Mayorga detailed the alleged assault inside a suite at the Palms Hotel and Casino. Ronaldo issued a statement last week to “firmly deny the accusations being issued against me.”
“Mr. Ronaldo has always maintained, as he does today, that what occurred in 2009 in Las Vegas was consensual in nature,” attorney Peter S. Christiansen said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports and other outlets on Wednesday.
Christiansen confirmed that Mayorga reached a settlement with Ronaldo’s representatives in 2010. The lawsuit seeks to void that $375,000 settlement, which included a non-disclosure agreement.
“While Mr. Ronaldo does not deny the existence of the mutual agreement and release, his motivations for agreeing to that resolution have been twisted, to say the least,” Christiansen said.
“Far from any admission of guilt or any ulterior motive, Mr. Ronaldo was advised to privately resolve the allegations against him in order to avoid the inevitable attempts that are now being made to destroy a reputation that has been built upon hard work, athleticism and honor.”
Christiansen said some documents cited in the lawsuit that first appeared on Football Leaks — a repository where documents related to soccer can be submitted anonymously — were “completely fabricated.”
The Las Vegas police previously told USA TODAY Sports that it had re-opened the case. Mayorga had reported to police she had been sexually assaulted the same day of the encounter and underwent a sexual abuse examination at a local hospital.
A police spokesperson said Mayorga did not identify who assaulted her when interviewed in 2009 and didn’t seek to pursue the case.
A message left with the firm representing Mayorga by USA TODAY Sports was not immediately returned on Wednesday.
Be the first to comment