October 11 – Cristiano Ronaldo’s lawyer has issues a firm rebuke of the rape accusations against the Portuguese player, saying the documents backing up Kathryn Mayorga’s claims have been “completely fabricated”.
Ronaldo, 33, has denied assaulting Mayorga at a Las Vegas hotel in 2009. Mayorga detailed the events of that evening in an interview with German magazine Der Spiegel, accusing Ronaldo of sexually abusing her. Ronaldo first dismissed the claims as “fake news” and later added that he had “a clear conscience”.
A statement from Ronaldo’s lawyer Peter Christiansen reiterated the Juventus forward “vehemently denies all accusations in this civil action”. Christiansen said a “media outlet irresponsibly” based its reports on “stolen and easily manipulated digital documents” of which “significant parts were altered and/or completely fabricated”.
The Las Vegas police however reopened the case. In 2010, Mayorga has reached an-out-of court settlement with Ronaldo. She received $375,000 (£288,000) in return for remaining silent. Mayorga has explained that the #MeToo movement inspired her to come out with her story and she is suing Ronaldo in civil court.
But the Ronaldo camp maintains the player’s innocence. Christiansen disclosed that his client’s positions remained that “what happened in 2009 in Las Vegas was completely consensual.” The lawyer says Ronaldo does not deny that he agreed to enter into an agreement, but “the reasons that led him to do so are at least to be distorted.”
The statement added: “This agreement is by no means a confession of guilt.
“What happened was simply that Cristiano Ronaldo merely followed the advice of his advisors in order to put an end to the outrageous accusations made against him, in order precisely to avoid attempts, such as those we are now witnessing, to destroy a reputation built thanks to hard work, athletic ability and behavioural correction.
“Unfortunately, it is now involved in the type of litigation that is very common in the United States.”
Christiansen stated: “Although Cristiano Ronaldo is accustomed to media attention, inherent in the fact that he is a famous person, it is absolutely deplorable that the media continue to propagate and stimulate an intentional defamation campaign based on stolen and easily manipulated digital documents.
“Cristiano Ronaldo has mandated his lawyers in the United States and Europe to deal with all legal aspects and expresses full confidence that the truth will prevail, despite the corruption of counter-information, and in which the laws of Nevada will be enforced and respected.”
“So that there are no doubts: Cristiano Ronaldo vehemently denies all the accusations in this civil action, in consistency with what he has done in the last nine years.
“The documents that allegedly contain statements by Mr Ronaldo and were reproduced in the media are pure inventions.”
Contact the writer of this story Samindra Kunti at moc.l1734981136labto1734981136ofdlr1734981136owedi1734981136sni@o1734981136fni1734981136