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Soccer Player Cristiano Ronaldo Will Not Face Rape Charges
Kathryn Mayorga accused soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo of sexually assaulting her in Las Vegas a decade ago.
Soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo, a Portuguese athlete who now plays for Juventus in Italy, will not face criminal charges after being accused of rape by a woman who claims the two had a non-consensual sexual encounter.
In a news release tweeted out by the Clark County District Attorney on July 22, it was announced that it would not be prosecuting Ronaldo for a decade-old accusation of rape.
“The allegations of sexual assault against Cristiano Ronaldo cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” reads the release. “Therefore, no charges will be forthcoming.”
Kathryn Mayorga said that she had been sexually assaulted by Ronaldo in a Palms Casino Resort penthouse suite in June 2009, according to ESPN. She underwent a hospital examination shortly after the alleged incident. In interviews with police, she would not divulge the name of the person who she said attacked her, nor would she indicate where the incident occurred. The case was closed as result, according to the statement.
Mayorga went on to sue Ronaldo in a Nevada State Court in 2018, prompting the Las Vegas police to reopen the investigation, according to The Washington Post. In the suit, Mayorga claims that she was coerced into a non-disclosure agreement in 2010 in the form of an out-of-court settlement in exchange for $375,000.
Mayorga's attorney, Leslie Mark Stovall, claimed because of the trauma caused by the attack and due to her learning disability, her client was unaware of the ramifications of the agreement. Stovall added that Mayorga's legal representation at the time acted incompetently and alleged that the settlement was “evidence of a criminal conspiracy to conceal and obstruct the prosecution of that sexual assault,” according to The Washington Post.
Mayorga has said that she was discouraged from reporting the assault at the time by hospital workers and a Las Vegas Detective who noted Ronaldo's fame.
Police obtained a search warrant in January hoping to procure DNA from Ronaldo, despite the unlikeliness of his compliance due to international laws.
Mayorga has re-filed her lawsuit, which remains active according to court records. Ronaldo's attorneys have announced that they plan on filing a motion to have the case dismissed or settled.
Ronaldo has previously described the accusation made against him as "fake news." He has not commented on Monday's announcement.
A 2010 study on rape accusations indicates that only 2-10 percent of rape accusations are proven to be fake. The FBI estimates on the matter suggest similar statistics.
