The Las Vegas Police Department has reopened a 2009 investigation that alleges soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo sexually assaulted a woman in a Las Vegas hotel in 2009, BuzzFeed News reports.
In a civil suit brought last month by alleged victim Kathryn Mayorga, 34, the former Las Vegas school teacher and model claims that Ronaldo, 33, raped her in a suite inside the Palms Hotel and Casino on June 13, 2009. Mayorga reported the alleged attack to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department that same day and submitted to a sexual abuse examination at a local hospital. According to a USA Today report, police have a rape kit from the exam.
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The lawsuit claims Ronaldo pulled Mayorga into the bedroom of the suite where she was then sodomized by the Juventus player, resulting in “severe emotional and bodily injuries including but not limited to anal contusions, post-traumatic stress disorder, and major depression.” She also claims she signed a 2010 non-disclosure agreement and agreed to a $375,000 settlement.
In a press conference Wednesday, Mayorga's attorney Leslie Stovall said Ronaldo might face jail time if found guilty of the attack. The attorney said Mayorga considered death by suicide, suffered from substance abuse issues, and PTSD after the alleged rape. He also said Mayorga's swift report of the alleged attack eliminates any statute of limitations in Nevada in a criminal case, but a two-year statute of limitations might hinder the civil suit.
Representation for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Ronaldo will sit out at least two Portugal games as the investigation commences, per BuzzFeed News. Representation for Ronaldo did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In series of statements released on Twitter Wednesday, Ronaldo vehemently denied the allegation: “I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. 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 tranquility the results of any and all investigations.”
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This is a developing story.
If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or the Suicide Crisis Line at 1-800-784-2433.
If you have experienced sexual violence and are in need of crisis support, please call the RAINN Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
If you are struggling with substance abuse, please call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for free and confidential information.
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