Lawyers representing football star Cristiano Ronaldo are set to return to court today in a legal battle over the hush money he paid in 2010 to a woman who accused him of raping her.
The player had paid Kathryn Mayorga – who has waived her right to anonymity – $375,000 (£275,000) in hush money.
She had alleged he raped her in a Las Vegas hotel room in June 2009 – which he vehemently denied.
A lawsuit seeking a further payout was dismissed in June last year by US District Judge Jennifer Dorsey over bad-faith conduct and the use of stolen confidential documents.
But on Wednesday, a US appeals court will hear from lawyers trying to revive Ms Mayorga’s bid to force Ronaldo to pay millions more.
Her legal team is asking the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn the dismissal of the case and reopen the civil lawsuit she first filed in Nevada in 2018.
They will argue the federal court judge in Nevada erred in repeatedly rejecting Ms Mayorga’s attempts to unseal and include as evidence the confidentiality agreement she signed in 2010 in accepting payments from Ronaldo.
In a statement released in October 2018, Ronaldo said: “I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in.”
His legal team has stated the sexual encounter was consensual and that a confidentiality agreement prevents both his team and Ms Mayorga from talking about it.
Ronaldo, 38, who has played for Real Madrid, Juventus, and Manchester United, now plays for the Saudi Arabian team Al Nassr FC.
He is reported to be on a £177m-a-year deal at Al Nassr – the biggest in football history.