The Accusations
In 2018, Kathryn Mayorga, a former model and teacher who lives in Las Vegas, accused the Portuguese footballer of sexual assault. The incident occurred in 2009, when Mayorga met Ronaldo at a nightclub, while he was on vacation in Vegas with his brother-in-law and cousin. Mayorga, 25 at the time, had just recently started her modelling career.
The two met in the VIP section of Rain, a nightclub owned by the Palms Casino Resort, and photos of the two from the night spread on the Internet, causing people to wonder the identity of the mystery woman by Ronaldo's side.
According to Mayorga's narration of events, the party continued at Ronaldo's penthouse nearby. When she went into the bathroom, the footballer walked in while she was almost naked. He had bared himself, and asked Mayorga to have a sexual encounter with him. Although she resisted, he eventually physically overpowered her.
Events That Unfolded After the Allegation
A day after the incident, Mayorga called the police and underwent a sexual assault forensic exam (also known as a rape kit). The hospital documents reported that she had been anally penetrated, and there were remnants of ejaculation on her hands. Although she was asked repeatedly by her parents and the medical staff, she did not name her assailant at the time, simply saying he was an “athlete”.
Some weeks later, Mayorga gave a police statement to an officer, recounting the incident in full and naming the man as her assaulter. However, she later refused to go ahead with a criminal investigation.
A few months later, Ronaldo paid Kathryn Mayorga $375,000 as an out-of-court settlement, and in exchange, she signed an NDA, agreeing to never speak about the accusations again.
The Lawsuit
In 2018, Las Vegas Police said that the case was being reopened. A warrant was issued to request Ronaldo's DNA sample, which his legal team said was standard procedure. Six months later, the District Attorney's office announced that he would not be facing charges for sexual assault.
According to the statement, too much time had passed since the incident to prove without reasonable doubt that this was an act of sexual assault. Another reason was that Mayorga had not identified Ronaldo in her initial statements, preventing the police from conducting a proper investigation.
Mayorga continued to press claims for damages caused by the incident, for a total amount of $70 million. In June 2022, the case was dismissed with no option to file it again. Mayorga's lawyer, Leslie Stovall, was rebuked for his “bad-faith conduct,” and for using cyber-hacked, privileged documents in court. Instead, the judge ruled that Stovall be ordered to personally pay for a fraction of Ronaldo's legal fees.
Documents That Support Mayorga’s Claim
Ronaldo’s legal team has claimed a sexual encounter did take place between the footballer and the school teacher back in 2009, but this incident was consensual. Back then, his legal team sent him a questionnaire asking for his recollection of events, and his answers are likely part of the 27-page document.
Some versions of this questionnaire have been leaked online, and they allegedly quote Ronaldo as saying, “She said no and stop several times. [...] But she kept saying ‘No.’ ‘Don't do it.’ ‘I'm not like the others.’ I apologised afterwards.” It also details the incident itself, about which he reportedly said, “I entered her from behind. It was rude. We didn't change position. 5/7 minutes. She said that she didn't want to, but she made herself available.”
In the recent lawsuit, the footballer’s legal team claimed these documents were fabricated by the whistleblower outlet Football Leaks.
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