(Update: Cristiano Ronaldo left off Portugal squad for upcoming international break)
A Nevada woman named Kathryn Mayorga, a former model who is now a teacher, accused Cristiano Ronaldo of raping her on June 13th, 2009 in his hotel room. Mayorga, 34, alleges the rape took place at Ronaldo’s penthouse suite at the Palms Casino Resort when she was age 24.
The very explosive accusations, which Ronaldo publicly denied over the weekend, branding it “fake, fake news,” first became public knowledge via an investigative report in German publication Der Spiegel late last week. Ronaldo has threatened to sue the magazine over their publication of this story, but late Monday the Associated Press report that Las Vegas police have decided to reopen the criminal case.
“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,'” reads a public statement from Leslie Mark Stovall, attorney for Kathryn Mayorga.
“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 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.'”
Under classification of Nevada Revised Statute 171.083, there are no statute of limitations on cases of sexual assault.
The LVPD statement reads: “As of September 2018, the case has been reopened and our detectives are following up on information being provided by the victim.”
“This is an ongoing investigation and no further details will be released at this time.”
In addition to the re-opening of the criminal case, Ronaldo faces additional legal peril via a lawsuit filed by Stovall, on behalf of Mayorga. The civil complaint alleges that Kathryn Mayorga was coerced into signing a nondisclosure agreement in 2010, settling out-of-court for the sum of $375,000.
The suit claims that Mayorga was so traumatized by the events of the encounter with the Juventus superstar that she was incapable of fully participating in negotiations.
The suit also alleges a conspiracy of companies and individuals to undermine the criminal case and manipulate her into accepting a payoff that is a rather modest sum in juxtaposition of Ronaldo’s earnings, both then and now.
Stovall’s suit is seeking general damages, special damages, punitive damages and special relief, each in excess of $50,000, along with interest, attorney fees and court costs.
Ronaldo’s attorney, Christian Schertz, claims that the Der Spiegel story “violates the personal rights of our client Cristiano Ronaldo in an exceptionally serious way.”
It’s a very complicated and serious situation that works on many layers. It’s not just the word of Kathryn Mayorga vs. the account of Ronaldo. It’s a litmus test for where we currently are as a society on the issue of sexual assault. Mayorga has said that she was inspired to break her silence by the rise of the #MeToo movement in 2017.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, is currently a regular contributor to SB Nation, WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Sound Cloud and YouTube. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to any and all of his.