US judge dismisses Cristiano Ronaldo rape legal action inside Vegas
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Nevada woman has lost her provide inside a U.S. court of rules and regulations to strength international soccer celestial body Cristiano Ronaldo to pay millions of dollars additional than the $375,000 inside hush money she received following claiming he raped her inside Las Vegas inside 2009.
U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey inside Las Vegas kicked the instance not here of court of rules and regulations on Friday to punish the woman's attorney, Leslie Mark Stovall, for "bad-faith conduct" with every one other accompanied by the use of leaked with every one other accompanied by stolen documents detailing attorney-client discussions in the centre of Ronaldo with every one other accompanied by his lawyers. Dorsey said that tainted the instance on the far side of redemption.
Dorsey said inside her 42-page order that dismissing a instance outright accompanied by no indeed option to file it on one occasion additional is a severe sanction, nevertheless said Ronaldo had been harmed by Stovall's conduct.
"I find that the procurement with every one other accompanied by continued use of these documents was bad faith, with every one other accompanied by simply disqualifying Stovall will not cure the prejudice to Ronaldo since the misappropriated documents with every one other accompanied by their confidential contents have been woven into the extremely cloth of (plaintiff Kathryn) Mayorga's claims," the ruling said. "Harsh sanctions are merited."
Stovall did not straight away respond Saturday to telephone with every one other accompanied by email messages. Text messages to associate Larissa Drohobyczer were not answered. They could appeal the decision to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals inside San Francisco.
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Ronaldo's attorney inside Las Vegas, Peter Christiansen, was traveling with every one other accompanied by was not straight away reachable for comment.
The Associated Press normally does not name people who speak they are victims of reproductive assault, nevertheless Mayorga gave consent into and not here of Stovall with every one other accompanied by Drohobyczer to build her name public.
Dorsey had signaled earlier this year that she was prepared to extremity the instance following Stovall failed to meet a procedural deadline inside his provide for additional than $25 million inside damages based on allegations that Ronaldo or his associates violated a 2010 confidentiality accord by letting reports concerning it become visible inside European publications inside 2017.
Mayorga's secular legal action — filed inside 2018 inside condition court of rules and regulations with every one other accompanied by moved inside 2019 to confederate court of rules and regulations — alleged that Ronaldo or his associates violated the confidentiality accord earlier to the German report outlet Der Spiegel published an article titled "Cristiano Ronaldo's Secret" based on documents obtained from "whistleblower portal Football Leaks."
Ronaldo's legal team blamed the reports on electronic facts leaks of documents hacked from rules and regulations firms with every one other accompanied by other entities inside Europe with every one other accompanied by place up for sale. Christiansen alleged too that details was altered or fabricated.
Christiansen with every one other accompanied by attorney Kendelee Works inside Las Vegas successfully fought since the instance emerged inside 2018 to stop the pact from disclosure.
Mayorga is a former model with every one other accompanied by teacher who lives inside the Las Vegas area. Her legal action said she met Ronaldo at a nightclub with every one other accompanied by went accompanied by him with every one other accompanied by other people to his innmotel suite, where she alleged he assaulted her inside a bedroom. She was 25 at the time. He was 24.
Ronaldo's legal team does not debate Ronaldo met Mayorga with every one other accompanied by they had sexual intercourse inside June 2009, nevertheless maintained it was consensual with every one other accompanied by not rape.
Mayorga went to Las Vegas police at the time, nevertheless the investigation was dropped since Mayorga neither identified her alleged attacker by name nor said where the event took place, police with every one other accompanied by prosecutors said.
Ronaldo, now 37, is one of the most extremely paid with every one other accompanied by recognizable sports stars inside the world. He plays for the English Premier League club Manchester United with every one other accompanied by has captained the national team of his place of residence country, Portugal. He spent some recent years playing inside Italy for the Turin-based club Juventus.
Las Vegas police reopened their rape investigation following Mayorga's legal action was filed, nevertheless Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson decided inside 2019 not to pursue criminal charges.
Wolfson, the elected condition prosecutor inside Las Vegas, said excessively a a large amount of hour dated had passed with every one other accompanied by proof failed to show that Mayorga's accusation could exist proved to a jury on the far side of a reasonable doubt.
Stovall maintained that Mayorga didn't shatter the hush-money settlement. Her legal action sought to void it, accusing Ronaldo with every one other accompanied by reputation-protection "fixers" of conspiracy, defamation, breach of contract, coercion with every one other accompanied by fraud. In documents filed last year, Stovall tallied damages at $25 million and attorney fees.
The attorney argued that Mayorga had learning disabilities while a child with every one other accompanied by was so pressured by Ronaldo's attorneys with every one other accompanied by representatives that she was inside no indeed condition to consent to dropping her criminal objection with every one other accompanied by accepting the $375,000 inside August 2010.
Dorsey followed recommendations from U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel Albregts, who handled preliminary with every one other accompanied by procedural rulings inside the case, that it exist dismissed for bad faith, "inappropriate conduct" by Stovall with every one other accompanied by reliance on the leaked with every one other accompanied by stolen confidential documents.
"There is no indeed possible way for this instance to proceed where the court of rules and regulations cannot tell what arguments with every one other accompanied by testimony are based on these privileged documents," Albregts said inside an October 2021 report to Dorsey.
Stovall "acted inside bad trust by asking for, receiving, with every one other accompanied by using the Football Leaks documents to prosecute Mayorga's case," Albregts wrote. He blamed Stovall for "audacious," "impertinent" with every one other accompanied by "abusive" attempts to build the confidentiality accord condition into and not here of legal maneuvers with every one other accompanied by the court of rules and regulations record with every one other accompanied by recommended to Dorsey that she reject Stovall's claim that Mayorga lacked the intellectual capacity to sign the 2010 agreement.
The 9th Circuit ruled early this year that it would exist up to Dorsey to resolve that question.
It was not straight away understandable inside Dorsey's ruling whether the condition strength still obtain a look at the Las Vegas police report compiled concerning Ronaldo following Mayorga filed her legal action inside 2018.
Albregts said inside March that denying the New York Times access to what police collected "would almost certainly lift the 'specter of management censorship.'" He recommended that Dorsey transfer to a condition court of rules and regulations the newspaper's open-records appeal for documents.
A protective order that Dorsey imposed to stop the release of the 2010 accord doesn't apply to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Albregts found, with every one other accompanied by "does not bar LVMPD from disseminating its criminal investigative file."
Attorney Margaret McLetchie, representing the newspaper, did not straight away respond Saturday to a message concerning that case.
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