Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo has denied allegations made by a former model that he raped her in his Las Vegas hotel suite in 2009. He called the charges as “fake news” during a live session on Instagram.
“What they said today, fake news,” Ronaldo said in the Instagram live that has since been deleted.
In a 32-page complaint, 34-year-old Kathryn Mayorga accused Ronaldo of raping her on June 13, 2009 in his hotel suite. According to reports, Mayorga reported the assault with the Las Vega Metropolitan Police Department, who confirmed that it had responded to a call of sexual assault on that date. Mayorga had not provided the suspect details when the report was made, but she underwent a medical examination.
The police said they have reopened the investigation and are following it up with the details provided by Mayorga.
Mayorga said that she was forced to sign a nondisclosure agreement and settle the case for a payment of USD 375,000 to keep the alleged incident confidential. She mentions in the complaint that she met then 24-year-old Ronaldo at the Rain Nightclub in the Palms Hotel and Casino, and was later invited to join him and others in his penthouse. She was asked to join them in the hot tub, but she declined as she didn't have a bathing suit.
Ronaldo offered her a change of clothes and followed her when she was going to change. When he demanded oral sex from her, Mayorga refused and said she would leave. However, Ronaldo pulled her into the bedroom and anally raped her.
Later, Ronaldo allowed her to leave, and said he was sorry, he was “usually a gentleman”.
Mayorga, in her lawsuit, mentioned that she is seeking no less than USD 200,000 in penalties and damages. The assault had left with “sever emotional and bodily injuries including but not limited to anal contusions, post traumatic stress disorder and major depression”.
Mayorga, in an interview with a German magazine Der Spiegel, said the #MeToo movement partly inspired her to come forward.
Ronaldo is a married father of four. After a successful run at Real Madrid, where he won two La Liga titles and four Champions League title, Ronaldo left to join Juventus for 100 million euros.
