(Update: Cristiano Ronaldo left off Portugal squad for upcoming international break)
The Associated Press reported Monday that Las Vegas Police have decided to re-open the investigation of a rape claim made against Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009. The case was re-opened at the request of an attorney for Kathryn Mayorga, a teacher and former model from Henderson, Nevada who claims that Ronaldo raped her at his Las Vegas hotel room on June 13th, 2009.
The incident is alleged to have occurred during the same summer that Ronaldo was sold from Manchester United to Real Madrid.
In addition to the restarted criminal investigation, Ronaldo and his legal team are also now dealing with a civil lawsuit, filed by Mayorga last week. The civil suit alleges that Kathryn Mayorga was coerced into taking a financial settlement from a team of Ronaldo “fixers,” who also acted to obstruct the criminal investigation.
Mayorga, who initially did not want her name made public, gave the AP authorization to name her on Tuesday, according to her lawyer, Larissa Drohobyczer. However, she will not be giving any interviews to media given her current emotional state.
“She’s not going to be interviewed. At this time she’s emotionally fragile,” said Drohobyczer, adding that her client has now left the country, but wouldn’t say her current whereabouts. Ronaldo’s attorney has publicly threatened to sue Der Spiegel, the German outlet which first reported the rape claim last week.
Ronaldo himself has twice strongly denied the accusations, via postings on social media.
“I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me,” Ronaldo posted Wednesday on Twitter.
“Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in. Keen as I may be to clear my name, I refuse to feed the media spectacle created by people seeking to promote themselves at my expense.”
“My clear conscious will thereby allow me to await with tranquillity the results of any and all investigations.”
Ronaldo also maintained his innocence in an Instagram video posted the same day that the lawsuit was filed.
“Fake. Fake news,” said the current Juventus and former Real Madrid and Manchester United superstar.
“You want to promote by my name. It’s normal. They want to be famous, to say my name. But it is part of the job.”
“I am a happy man and all good.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, is currently a regular contributor to SB Nation, WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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