A Nevada woman lost her bid to force Cristiano Ronaldo, an international soccer star, to pay millions of dollars for more than the $375,000 she received in hush funds after she claimed he raped him in Las Vegas in 2009.
U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey, Las Vegas, kicked the case out for the woman’s lawyer, Leslie Mark Stovall. Stovall was accused of “bad-faith behavior” and the use leaked and stolen documents that detail attorney-client conversations between Ronaldo (his lawyers) and Stovall. Dorsey stated that the scandal had ruined the case beyond repair.
Dorsey stated in her 42-page ordeal that dismissing a case without the option of reopening it is a severe penalty, but claimed Ronaldo was being hurt by Stovall’s conduct.
“I find that the procurement of and continued use of these documents were bad faith and simply disqualifying Stovall won’t cure the prejudice towards Ronaldo because the misappropriated papers and their confidential contents had been woven into (plaintiff Kathryn Mayorga)’s claims,” the ruling stated. “Harsh Sanctions are warranted.”
Stovall did no immediate respond to Saturday’s email and telephone messages. Larissa Drohobyczer, an associate, did not receive her text messages. The decision could be appealed to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Circuit Court of Appeals, San Francisco
Peter Christiansen (Ronaldo’s Las Vegas attorney), was on vacation and could not be reached immediately for comment.
The Associated Press does not usually name victims of sexual assault. Mayorga consented through Stovall & Drohobyczer, however.
Dorsey indicated earlier this year she was ready for the end of the case after Stovall failed meet a deadline in his claim for more than $25,000,000 in damages. This is based on claims that Ronaldo and his associates had violated a confidentiality agreement in 2010 by allowing reports about it to appear in European publications.
Mayorga’s civil suit was filed in state court in 2018, and moved to federal court in 2019. It alleged that Ronaldo and his associates had violated the confidentiality agreement prior to Der Spiegel publishing an article entitled “Cristiano Ronaldo’s Secret”. The article was based on documents obtained through “whistleblower portal Football Leaks.”
Ronaldo’s legal team blamed reports about electronic data leaks from documents stolen from European law firms and other entities and then put up for sale. Christiansen also claimed that the information was altered or fabricated.
Since 2018, Christiansen and Kendelee Works, an attorney in Las Vegas, have successfully fought to keep the pact secretive.
Mayorga, a former teacher and model, lives in Las Vegas. According to her lawsuit, she met Ronaldo in a nightclub. She then went with other people to his hotel suite where he assaulted her. She was 25 years old at the time. He was 24.
Ronaldo’s legal team doesn’t dispute Ronaldo’s meeting Mayorga. They had sex in June 2009. However, they maintained that it was consensual and no rape.
Mayorga was at Las Vegas police when the incident occurred, but police and prosecutors decided to drop the investigation because Mayorga did not identify her attacker or say where it took place.
Ronaldo is now 37 years old and one of the most well-known sports stars in the entire world. He is a member of the English Premier League club Manchester United, and he has also captained his country’s national team, Portugal. He was a Turin-based player for Juventus in Italy during the last several years.
After Mayorga’s lawsuit was filed in Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Police Department reopened their rape investigation. However, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson decided not to press criminal charges.
Wolfson, Las Vegas’ elected public prosecutor, stated that too much time had passed, and that evidence did not support Mayorga’s claim.
Stovall claimed that Mayorga did not violate the hush money settlement. Her lawsuit sought to void it, accusing Ronaldo and reputation-protection “fixers” of conspiracy, defamation, breach of contract, coercion and fraud. Stovall calculated damages at $25,000,000 plus attorney fees in documents she filed last year.
According to the attorney, Mayorga was a child with learning disabilities and was subject to constant pressure from Ronaldo’s lawyers and representatives. She was unable to agree to drop her criminal case and accept $375,000 in August 2010.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel Albregts made recommendations for Dorsey to dismiss the case because of bad faith, inappropriate conduct by Stovall, and reliance upon leaked and stolen confidential records.
Albregts stated in an October 2021 report to Dorsey that “there is no way this case can proceed where the court can tell which arguments and testimony are based upon these privileged documents.”
Albregts stated that Stovall “acted with bad faith” by asking for, receiving and using Football Leaks documents to pursue Mayorga’s case. Stovall was blamed for his “audacious”, “impertinent”, and “abusive” attempts to make the confidential agreement public through legal maneuvers. He recommended that Dorsey reject Stovall’s claim that Mayorga did not have the mental capacity to sign that 2010.
Early this year, the 9th Circuit ruled that Dorsey would decide that question.
Dorsey’s ruling did not indicate whether the public could still view the Las Vegas police report about Ronaldo that was compiled after Mayorga filed her 2018 lawsuit.
Albregts stated in March that denying access to police records to the New York Times “would almost certainly raise [the]’specter] of government censorship.” He suggested that Dorsey be transferred to a state court for the newspaper’s open record request for documents.
Albregts discovered that the protective order Dorsey placed to stop the release of the 2010 agreement does not apply to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
