Cristiano Ronaldo: US judge dismisses $25m lawsuit over rape allegations

A Nevada woman has lost her bid in a US court to force the Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo to pay millions of dollars more than $375,000 in hush money she received after claiming he raped her in Las Vegas in 2009.

A US district judge in Las Vegas, Jennifer Dorsey, kicked the case out of court on Friday to punish the woman’s attorney, Leslie Mark Stovall, for “bad-faith conduct” and the use of leaked and stolen documents detailing discussions between Ronaldo and his lawyers.

In a 42-page order, Dorsey said Stovall had tainted the case beyond redemption. She also said dismissing a case outright with no option to file again was a severe sanction, but Ronaldo had been harmed by Stovall’s conduct.

“I find that the procurement and continued use of these documents was bad faith, and 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 [plaintiff Kathryn] Mayorga’s claims,” the ruling said.

“Harsh sanctions are merited.”

Stovall and an associate, Larissa Drohobyczer, did not respond to requests for comment. They could appeal the decision to the ninth US circuit court of appeals in San Francisco. Ronaldo’s attorney in Las Vegas, Peter Christiansen, was not immediately reachable.

The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they are victims of sexual assault, but Mayorga gave consent to make her name public.

Dorsey signaled earlier this year she was ready to end the case after Stovall failed to meet a deadline in his bid for more than $25m in damages based on allegations that Ronaldo or his associates violated a 2010 confidentiality agreement by letting reports about it appear in