Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese soccer star who plays for Italian team Juventus, has been accused of raping a woman in 2009.
In a civil suit filed in Nevada’s Clark County District Court last week, Kathryn Mayorga alleged that Ronaldo sexually assaulted her in a Las Vegas hotel room and later paid her $375,000 to cover up the incident, according to court documents available online.
Mayorga claims that Ronaldo’s team coerced her into signing a nondisclosure and settlement agreement in 2010. The lawsuit seeks to void the settlement and secure an additional $200,000 in damages.
German outlet Der Spiegel first reported Mayorga’s claims in 2017, but she was not named. She was identified for the first time report from the outlet published last Friday. At the time of the 2017 report, Ronaldo’s reps denied the claims and said in a statement to Der Spiegel, “The article is nothing but a piece of journalistic fiction.”
According to Mayorga’s suit, she went to a nightclub called Rain in the Palms Hotel on June 13, 2009, and was allegedly invited by Ronaldo, now 33, to go back to his penthouse suite along with a group of people.
Mayorga claims that some of the guests opted to use the hot tub on the suite’s balcony, and the soccer super star allegedly offered her clothing to wear because she didn’t have a swimsuit. She claims he gave her athletic shorts and a T-shirt and suggested she change in the bathroom.
The lawsuit claims that Ronaldo then allegedly barged into the bathroom, “exposed his erect penis and asked the plaintiff to perform fellatio.” Mayorga allegedly refused, said she wanted to leave and walked out of the bathroom. Ronaldo then allegedly pulled her “onto a bed and attempted to engage in sexual intercourse.”
Again, Mayorga claims she refused, covered herself and screamed “no, no, no,” but Ronaldo allegedly sodomised her. According to the suit, Mayorga alleges that Ronaldo apologised and stated that “he was usually a gentleman.”
She claims she reported the incident to the police, and went to a hospital the same day. The Las Vegas Police Department confirmed responding to a call of sexual assault on June 13, 2009. At the time the report was taken, the victim provided neither a location of the incident nor a description of the suspect. She did receive a medical exam. In a statement to PEOPLE, the Las Vegas police said the case has been reopened, detectives are following up on information from the victim and that the investigation is ongoing.
Mayorga claims she suffered bodily injures including anal contusions, and has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression as a result of the alleged attack.
Mayorga believes Ronaldo’s team was attempting to obstruct a criminal investigation and prevent her from claiming civil damages through the 2010 mediation and agreement, according to the suit. The suit further accuses Ronaldo of coercion and fraud, racketeering and civil conspiracy, and abuse of process, according to the documents. Ronaldo’s team also allegedly threatened Mayorga with public humiliation.
Ronaldo’s attorney Christian Schertz did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment, but said in a statement that the story was “blatantly illegal… It violates the personal rights of our client Cristiano Ronaldo in an exceptionally serious way. This is an inadmissible reporting of suspicions in the area of privacy,” according to CNN.
During an Instagram live post on Friday, the athlete appeared to address the claims, saying, “What they said today, fake — fake news. They want to promote by my name. It’s normal. They want to be famous — to say my name,” CNN reported.
Responding to Ronaldo’s comments, Mayorga’s attorney Leslie Mark Stovall said in a statement to PEOPLE, “Ms. Mayorga’s filed complaint, the physical evidence of her sexual assault, answers to written questions regarding the sexual assault attributed to Cristiano Ronaldo, the communications and conduct of the ‘team’ representing Cristiano Ronaldo, the circumstances surrounding the purported agreement for settlement and non disclosure, and the psychological injuries suffered by Ms. Mayorga are not ‘fake news.’ “
The statement continued, “Ms. Mayorga’s August, 2018 decision to contact the police and participate in the criminal investigation of the June 13, 2009 sexual assault, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s current investigation of the June 13, 2009 sexual assault of Ms. Mayorga, and the existence of the Nevada Revised Statute 171.083 removing the time limits for criminal prosecution of a sexual assault in the State of Nevada are not ‘fake news.’ “
Stovall added that Mayorga wants to hold Ronaldo “accountable” for his conduct, “prevent what happened to her from happening to other women,” and further encourage “any victim of sexual assault” to pursue legal action “no matter how famous or powerful they may appear to be.”
Ronaldo, a father of four, has been thought of as one of the best soccer players for more than 10 years. After playing for Real Madrid and Manchester United, two top teams, Ronaldo transferred to Juventus this past summer — reportedly for $117 million.
This article originally appeared on PEOPLE
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
