Federal magistrate in Nevada has sided with Cristiano Ronaldo’s lawyers when contesting the Kathryn Mayorga case from 2010. The Portugal captain was accused of raping the woman in a Vegas hotel in the summer of 2009.
Moreover, the court has deemed that Kathryn Mayorga’s attorney, Leslie Mark Stovall based her case on stolen and leaked documents. The judge believes that the documents are privileged communications between Ronaldo and his lawyer, and deemed the lawyer’s actions detrimental to their profession.
“Dismissing Mayorga’s case for the inappropriate conduct of her attorney is a harsh result,” Albregts wrote in his recommendation to U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey. “But it is, unfortunately, the only appropriate sanction to ensure the integrity of the judicial process.”
Ronaldo’s attorney in Las Vegas, Peter Christiansen, issued a statement saying Ronaldo’s legal team was “pleased with the court’s detailed review … and its willingness to justly apply the law to the facts and recommend dismissal of the civil case against Mr. Ronaldo.”
The court stated that it found no evidence that Ronaldo committed a crime or intimidated the victim. This was upheld even when Mayorga was supposedly paid £375,000 in 2010 for an out of court, confidential settlement.
Ronaldo’s past has resurfaced following his move to Manchester United this summer, and a banner was flown over Old Trafford when the player had taken the pitch, pertaining to Kathryn Mayorga’s incident. As for now, Ronaldo has been deemed not guilty by the court.
