US judge dismisses rape lawsuit against Ronaldo
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US judge Jennifer Dorsey kicks the case out of court on Friday over the way earlier documents were obtained, which proves malice.
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Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United forward
After a woman claimed that football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo raped her, Ronaldo has so far paid the woman $375,000 to put a clog on the case, while completely denying any such allegations.
However, over documents that US judge Jennifer Dorsey obtained, the lawsuit was overruled. Dorsey said, in a 42-page order, that dismissing a case with no rights to file it again is a severe sanction, but Ronaldo was harmed as a result of the woman's lawyer, Leslie Mark Stovall.
Dorsey went on to reveal that Stovall used "misappropriated documents" which had been "woven into the very fabric" of the plaintiff's cause, which meant that it had to be permanently dismissed.
"I find that the procurement and continued use of these documents was bad faith," she said.
"Simply disqualifying Stovall will not cure the prejudice to Ronaldo because the misappropriated documents and their confidential contents have been woven into the very fabric of [the plaintiff's] claims," she said.
"Harsh sanctions are merited," the ruling stated.
In October 2018, Ronaldo "firmly" denied the accusations of rape, condemning such an act as an "abominable crime".
"I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in," he said.
His legal team working on the case stressed that Ronaldo's sexual encounter was consensual and that a confidentiality agreement prevents both his team and the woman from talking about it.
There could be a chance that the woman's legal team would appeal against the decision.
