Judge Drops Rape Case Against Soccer Star Cristiano Ronaldo
The district judge said the woman’s lawyer used leaked and stolen documents that included private conversations between Ronaldo and his lawyers.
Robbie Jay Barratt/Getty Images
Due to misconduct by her lawyer, a suit alleging Cristiano Ronaldo raped a a Nevada woman was dropped Saturday by a district judge. According to court documents, Ronaldo paid accuser Kathryn Mayorga $375,000 in 2010 to keep the incident to herself. The suit accused Ronaldo of conspiracy, defamation, breach of contract, coercion, and fraud, and Mayorga’s lawyer Leslie Mark Stovall estimated damages were close to $25 million without attorney fees, according to court documents. U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey issued a 42-page order, writing that Stovall had used “bad-faith conduct” regarding leaked and stolen documents concerning private discussions between attorneys and Ronaldo. Dorsey wrote that removing Stovall from the case couldn’t “cure the prejudice” toward Ronaldo: “Harsh sanctions are merited.” Stovall didn’t respond to CBS News’ text messages.
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