Cristiano Ronaldo: Police investigating allegation of rape since August
The Portuguese has strongly denied the accusations against him
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Your support makes all the difference.Las Vegas police have been looking into an historic allegation of rape made against Cristiano Ronaldo since August, as it was revealed that the accuser is suffering from post-traumatic stress and depression.
Kathryn Mayorga, 34, claims Ronaldo raped her in a Las Vegas hotel in 2009 and then dispatched a team of “fixers” to obstruct the criminal investigation and manipulate her into agreeing to an out-of-court settlement worth $375,000.
The lawsuit says Mayorga, from Nevada, asked police to reinvestigate the criminal case, with Las Vegas police confirming on Monday they have reopened a sexual assault case from 2009 that corresponds with the date of Mayorga’s allegation.
In a press conference held on Wednesday, lawyers confirmed that police have been looking into the case since August after Mayorga finally revealed the identity of her alleged rapist, having initially refused to divulge Ronaldo’s name at the time in 2009.
It was also revealed in Wednesday’s briefing that, according to a psychiatrist’s medical opinion, Mayorga’s psychological injuries made her “incompetent” to legally reach the non-disclosure settlement with the footballer’s representatives in 2010.
The psychiatrist has also diagnosed Mayorga, who has said to have been suicidal at times in the wake of the alleged attack, with PTSD and major depression.
Mayorga is currently out of the US and not speaking to the media, her lawyers said.
“She has decided not to make herself available to the media and stay out of the public because of her emotional state,” lawyer Leslie Stovall told the news conference. “It is not pleasant for her.”
Ronaldo has denied the accusations of rape against him, saying on Twitter that he had a “clear conscience”.
Mayorga’s lawyers said they are now considering whether to release documents related to the case including police reports, medical records, and an out-of-court settlement that included a non-disclosure agreement about the incident.
The lawsuit, to which Ronaldo has 20 days to respond to, demands an excess of $200,000 in damages.
Lawyers for Ronaldo on Friday threatened to sue German magazine Der Spiegel that published “blatantly illegal” accusations by Mayorga.
Der Spiegel’s deputy editor-in-chief, Alfred Weinzierl, told Reuters on Sunday that the magazine had worked professionally, laid out the evidence and stood by its story, which it said was allowed under Germany’s press law.