Football star Cristiano Ronaldo has been formally served with a lawsuit regarding his alleged rape of US woman Kathryn Mayorga in a Las Vegas hotel room in 2009, according to reports.
Mayorga’s legal team recently confirmed that the case had been switched to a federal court in a bid serve Ronaldo with the relevant papers.
The team was said to have tracked down the Portugal star’s address in Italy – where he plays with Juventus – in May, and he has now been served with the court papers, US outlet TMZ reports.
READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo ‘to be served summons’ over rape claims as Italy address found
Ronaldo, 34, and his legal team have firmly denied the claims that he raped Mayorga in a Vegas hotel suite after a night spent partying, and that she was later coerced into accepting $375,000 in hush money over the case.
The player’s legal team have acknowledged a payment existed, although they have claimed that documents reported by some media are “fabrications.”
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According to TMZ, Ronaldo’s representatives have already responded with court documents of their own, reportedly seeking permission to file a new report in a potential bid to have the case thrown out.
The case was reopened by Las Vegas police last year, after Mayorga went public with her claims and said she still felt traumatized by the alleged incident. She also claimed she had been emboldened by the Me Too movement.
Police have no brought formal charges against Ronaldo so far, and the player has previously said he is confident his name will be cleared and that the encounter with Mayorga was fully consensual.
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