Las Vegas police detectives are to re-investigate a 2009 sexual assault report made by a woman who has accused Cristiano Ronaldo of rape.
Kathryn Mayorga, 34, is suing the soccer superstar, 33, accusing him of attacking her in a penthouse in a Sin City hotel in June 2009. She is seeking to void an alleged US$375,000 settlement and non-disclosure agreement she claims to have signed following the alleged incident.
Las Vegas Police Department officials have now confirmed that they are reopening an investigation into a sexual assault case involving Mayorga in light of her decision to bring legal action and provide new information.
“The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department responded to a call of a sexual assault on June 13, 2009,” a statement from a police spokesperson to Sports Illustrated magazine reads. “At the time the report was taken, the victim did not provide detectives with the location of the incident or suspect description.
A medical exam was conducted. 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 on-going investigation and no further details will be released at this time.”
Ronaldo’s accuser opened up about her allegations in an interview with Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine, in which she claimed to have met the Portuguese star in Las Vegas’ Rain nightclub before he invited her back to his penthouse in the nearby Palms Place Hotel.
She alleges he forced her to have sex with him in a bathroom after she had turned down several of his attempted advances. Mayorga told the publication she has come forward now after being emboldened by women sharing their stories of sexual assault as part of the #MeToo movement, and receiving new legal advice on the nature of the non-disclosure agreement.
The Juventus player, who was about to join Real Madrid from Manchester United at the time of the alleged incident, has vehemently denied the allegations, calling them, “fake news”. His lawyer has also threatened to take action against Der Spiegel, calling their reporting, “illegal”.