Cristiano Ronaldo to Sue Magazine for Publishing Account from Rape Accuser
Cristiano Ronaldo's lawyer has said he will look to sue German magazine Der Spiegel after it published accusations from an American woman who says the footballer raped her in 2009.ย
Reuters confirmed on Friday that a statement from Ronaldo's legal representative, Christian Schertz, had been sent to them in which he branded the accusations made by Kathryn Mayorga as "blatantly illegal."
Schertz said the report in Der Spiegel is "an inadmissible reporting of suspicions in the area of privacy" and that he would be taking action against the publication on behalf of the 33-year-old Juventus forward.
Ronaldo's lawyer said they would seek compensation in respect of "moral damages in an amount corresponding to the gravity of the infringement, which is probably one of the most serious violations of personal rights in recent years."
Per Reuters, Mayorga said Ronaldo raped her nine years ago in a Las Vegas hotel room.ย Der Spiegelย also reported that an out-of-court settlement was agreed between Ronaldo and Mayorga after the former paid the latter $350,000 (ยฃ269,000).
However, Mayorga toldย Der Spiegelย that she regrets signing the non-disclosure agreement. "I've had like these serious breakdowns," she said. "And again, blaming of the rape. And I blame him, and I blame myself for signing that thing."
Per Reuters,ย Der Spiegel's deputy editor-in-chief,ย Alfred Weinzierl, said numerous attempts were made to speak to Ronaldo's camp before they published the story.
As relayed byย Dom Farrellย of Goal, last year Ronaldo's lawyers had threatened to sue the magazine for producing "journalistic fiction." That was afterย Der Spiegelย produced a document they claimed outlined the settlement made between Ronaldo and Mayorga.
Ronaldo moved to Juventus from Real Madrid this summer and, according to Reuters, the Italian club declined to comment on the recent story.
The forward is considered one of the greatest players of his generation, having helped Madrid win three UEFA Champions League titles in a row and four in the last five years.
