US court rejects appeal against Cristiano Ronaldo’s hush money settlement in Las Vegas rape case

This was disagreed by the three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based appellate court in the latest development. “The district court clearly recognized the gravity of dismissing the case and accordingly provided a thorough analysis, amply supported by factual findings,” Judge Johnnie Rawlinson wrote in Tuesday’s 6-page opinion per The Associated Press (AP).

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The case dates back to 2009 when Mayorga, a former teacher and Las Vegas based model, accused Ronaldo of sexually assaulting her in her bedroom.

The Portuguese footballer and his lawyers have maintained their stance that the act between the two parties was strictly consensual.

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Last year, Judge Jennifer Dorsey in Las Vegas had levied a $335,000 fine against Mayorga’s lead lawyer, Leslie Mark Stovall, for acting in “bad faith” in filing the case on his client’s behalf.

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“I find that the procurement and continued use of these documents was bad faith, and simply disqualifying Stovall will not cure the prejudice to Ronaldo because the misappropriated documents and their confidential contents have been woven into the very fabric of [plaintiff Kathryn] Mayorga’s claims,” Dorsey’s ruling had read. “Harsh sanctions are merited.”

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