US Judge suggests dismissal of rape case against Cristiano Ronaldo; cites leaked documents

A federal judge in Nevada ruled in favour of Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2009 case of a woman suing the footballer for more than $375,000 for allegedly raping her in a Las Vegas hotel room that year. The judge held that the allegations were based on leaked and stolen documents.

According to AP, Magistrate Daniel Albregts held the complainant's attorney, Leslie Mark Stovall, responsible for basing the case on false information. While media is usually forbidden from naming sexual assault victims and complainants, in this case, the complainant gave consent through Stovall and attorney Larissa Drohobyczer to make her name public.

Rape allegations against Cristiano Ronaldo dismissed

In a 23-page report to the U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey, the magistrate wrote, "Dismissing the case for the inappropriate conduct of her (the complainant's) attorney is a harsh result. But it is, unfortunately, the only appropriate sanction to ensure the integrity of the judicial process. Stovall has acted in bad faith to his client’s and his profession’s detriment."

Meanwhile, Ronaldo's attorney in Las Vegas, Peter Christiansen, issued a statement, citing that he was pleased with the court's review of the case. Christiansen added that he believes the court applied the laws to the facts in a just manner before they dismissed the civil case against his client. Magistrate judge Albregts also added that the court did not believe the Portuguese star committed a crime as they found no evidence against him or his attorneys or representatives of intimidating the complainant or impeding law enforcement.

What was the lawsuit filed against Cristiano Ronaldo?

In 2009, the complainant had accused Cristiano Ronaldo of raping her at a resort in Las Vegas. While images of the Portuguese international and the complainant dancing surfaced, the 36-year old football denied the outrageous allegations, calling them fake. After the allegations were made and reported to the police, civil proceedings were initiated.

As per the proceedings, both sides entered mediation, with Ronaldo agreeing to pay an amount. The Manchester United forward's representatives insisted that the payment was not a result of admitting to guilt, but to end the 'outrageous' allegations levelled against him. The 37-year old woman claimed that the Portuguese international assaulted her in a bedroom. While the football star's lawyers have acknowledged that Ronaldo and the complainant had sex, they asserted it was consensual and not rape.