A magistrate judge in Nevada has supported Cristiano Ronaldo’s lawyers against the woman who accused the footballer of rape in Las Vegas in 2009 as he recommended the dismissal of the case.
The magistrate judge Daniel Albregts on Wednesday slammed Kathryn Mayorga’s attorney, Leslie Mark Stovall, for basing the case on leaked and stolen private documents. Albregts said that the documents presented to the courts were privileged communications between Ronaldo and his lawyers.
“Dismissing Mayorga’s case for the inappropriate conduct of her attorney is a harsh result,” Albregts wrote in his recommendation to Judge Jennifer Dorsey. “But it is, unfortunately, the only appropriate sanction to ensure the integrity of the judicial process.”
A date for Dorsey to take up Albregt’s recommendation was not immediately set. “Stovall has acted in bad faith to his client’s and his profession’s detriment,” Albregts decided.
In a statement, Ronaldo’s attorney in Las Vegas Peter Christiansen said that the footballer’s legal team was pleased with the court’s review adding that the courts willingness to justly apply the law to the facts and recommend dismissal of the civil case against Mr Ronaldo was appreciating.
Mayorga gave consent through Stovall and attorney Larissa Drohobyczer to make her name public.
Albregts noted the court made no decision that Ronaldo committed a crime and found no evidence that his attorneys and representatives ‘intimidated Mayorga or impeded law enforcement’ when Mayorga dropped criminal charges and finalized a $375,000 confidential settlement in August 2010.
Ronaldo has denied Mayorga’s claims. The Manchester United star said, “I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me.”
Earlier in October 2018, the player had said, “Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in.”
In 2019 prosecutors in Las Vegas said Ronaldo will not be persecuted over the allegations. Clark county district attorney Steve Wolfso had said in July 2019, “Based upon a review of the information presented at this time, the allegations of sexual assault against Cristiano Ronaldo cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Therefore, no charges will be forthcoming.”
Ronaldo is one of the most famous athletes in the world. The 36-year-old is a five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or. He began his career at Sporting Lisbon before joining Manchester United in England where he rose to prominence, then joined Real Madrid in Spain and then Juventus in Italy. He is also a national hero in Portugal, who led his country to the European Championship title in 2016.
