Football (soccer) star Cristiano Ronaldo has responded to a lawsuit in connection to an alleged rape that took place in 2009. The supposed victim, Kathryn Mayorga, claims she met the Portuguese Juventus player at a nightclub in the Palms Hotel and Casino on June 13, 2009. After flirting, Ronaldo allegedly asked Mayorga to join him in his suite, where he would later ask for oral sex. When the complainant refused she maintains that he pulled her into the bedroom and attacked her.
Since the lawsuit has been made public, the 33-year-old has declared his innocence and has issued a public statement in defense for himself calling rape an “abominable crime.”
I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in. Keen as I may be to clear my name, I refuse to feed the media spectacle created by people seeking to promote themselves at my expense.
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) October 3, 2018
My clear conscious will thereby allow me to await with tranquillity the results of any and all investigations.
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) October 3, 2018
According to CNN, this suit claims that Cristiano Ronaldo and his team took advantage of Mayorga’s “fragile and emotional state to coerce her into signing a settlement and nondisclosure agreement” after the assault took place. She also claims the athlete paid her $375,000 to remain silent.
Initially, the victim refused to divulge the name of her attacker in the assault for fear of public humiliation, and when she eventually did she was told by a detective and nurse that she would be scrutinized by the public.
The lawsuit claims, “The psychological trauma of the sexual assault, the fear of public humiliation and retaliation and the reiteration of those fears by law enforcement and medical providers left plaintiff terrified and unable to act or advocate for herself.”
The Las Vegas police department has reportedly reopened the case.
READ MORE: Drake Sues Woman For Extortion Over False Rape And Pregnancy Claims