According to new claims, Cristiano Ronaldo attempted to prevent the disclosure of police files connected to a sexual assault investigation against him, which a court will hear next week.
In 2009, weeks before signing for Real Madrid for a then world-record transfer fee, the Manchester United star was accused of rapping US citizen Kathryn Mayorga in a hotel room.
According to The Mirror, Ronaldo is battling an attempt by The New York Times newspaper to gain access to the papers held by Las Vegas cops.
The claim, which Ronaldo has consistently denied, initially surfaced in 2008 after a German magazine, Der Spiegel, conducted an investigation sparked by information obtained by the Football Leaks website.
Ronaldo’s legal team, according to The Mirror, claims that the document was acquired illegally by Football Leaks and that it was a violation of attorney-client privilege.
Ms. Mayora’s lawyers agree that the information should not be made public until a judge has ruled on whether it infringes on the footballer’s legal rights, but they believe the additional documents, believed to be about 400, should be made available to The New York Times.
According to The Mirror, Judge Jennifer A Dorsey will hear both parties’ legal arguments in court on Tuesday, with a final hearing on Ronaldo’s attempts to keep the data out of the public domain set for a later date.
A Las Vegas court recommended that the case be dismissed in October 2021.
According to reports in The Mirror and Der Spiegel, Ronaldo paid £375, 000 to Ms. Mayorga 12 years ago.
After being inspired by the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct following allegations made against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and other well-known personalities, she tried to reverse the original settlement in 2018.
She is now demanding damages and costs amounting to more than £56 million.
Ronaldo has always claimed that his relationship with Mayorga was mutually beneficial.
He declared in 2018 that he “firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything I am and believe in.”
