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 in hush money.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.