Lawyers of Portugal and Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo have issued a denial after reports emerged of a woman accusing the footballer of rape.
German outlet Der Spiegel reported that a 34-year-old American woman, Kathryn Mayorga, has come out with serious allegations of rape against the Portuguese football star.
According to the account, the incident took place in Las Vegas in 2009. Ronaldo allegedly paid her a sum of $375,000 as an out-of-court settlement, the legality of which is being questioned by her team now. The allegation originally was reported a year and a half ago, while Ronaldo was playing for Real Madrid and holidaying in the States.
The Telegraph reported that Ronaldo’s lawyers issued a statement categorically denying the allegations, referring to Der Spiegel’s report as “blatantly illegal.” The report added that Ronaldo’s team would be pursuing “moral damages in an amount corresponding to the gravity of the infringement, which is probably one of the most serious violations of personal rights in recent years.”
Ronaldo was also once arrested in 2007 for a similar offence during his time at Old Trafford as a Manchester United player. He was let off then on bail and the charges dropped later due to insufficient evidence.
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