The legal battle between Cristiano Ronaldo and Kathryn Mayorga, who accused the star of rape, takes a major turn
Cristiano Ronaldo’s long-running legal battle with Kathryn Mayorga has taken a major turn after she accused the footballer of sexual harassment in 2009, GOAL reports Celebrity rape, Mayorga’s latest appeal against a previous hush money deal has been rejected by a US court. .
The accusations date back to when Ronaldo was 24, with Mayorga claiming she was sexually assaulted in a Las Vegas hotel bedroom. In 2010, Ronaldo settled the matter, agreeing to pay Mayorga $335,000 (£267,000). However, the 2017 leaks prompted Mayorga’s attorney, Leslie Mark Stovall, to seek to increase the settlement to more than $25 million. Stovall cited conspiracy, defamation, breach of contract, coercion and fraud in seeking a larger compensation package.
U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey dismissed Stovall’s plea in June 2022. Unmoved, Stovall continued to appeal, arguing that the judge’s dismissal was unfounded and that Mayorga should have been entitled to publicly disclose the confidentiality agreement.
In a recent ruling, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco sided with Ronaldo, rejecting Mayorga’s appeal and imposing a hefty fine of $335,000 on Stovall. The court’s decision highlights that despite a confidentiality agreement, Stovall used “Football Leaks” documents obtained through cyber hackers to launch a new lawsuit against Cristiano Ronaldo.
This latest development not only dismisses Mayorga’s appeal but also imposes a hefty financial penalty on Stovall. The ruling raised questions about whether the case might be reopened, adding another layer of complexity to a complicated legal saga that has spanned more than 14 years.