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- Cristiano Ronaldo has been accused of rape, an allegation he has repeatedly denied.
- The Juventus star met his accuser Kathryn Mayorga at a Las Vegas nightclub in 2009. She claims he sexually assaulted her in a penthouse hours later.
- Mayorga reported an incident to police the next day, took a rape kit in a local hospital, and says she felt "sick and confused" in the following days.
- Ronaldo's lawyer has confirmed a sexual encounter occurred that night but said it was "consensual."
- Las Vegas police have reopened their investigation and Juventus is reportedly avoiding organizing off-season matches in the United States in case Ronaldo is detained by authorities.
- Here's a timeline of everything we know so far.
It all began in 2009, when soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo met Kathryn Mayorga in a Las Vegas nightclub. A decade later, the chance meeting is still following Ronaldo, who stands accused of rape by Mayorga.
In recent months, a warrant has been issued for his DNA, Mayorga has filed a lawsuit, and police have reopened her sexual assault case.
Recent reports also suggest that the club Ronaldo plays for, Juventus FC, is refusing to organize off-season matches in the US in case he is detained in the country.
As Ronaldo winds down the latter part of his career, we've put together a timeline of everything we know about the rape allegations so far.
June 12, 2009 - Ronaldo meets Kathryn Mayorga
Mayorga meets Ronaldo in the VIP section of the nightclub Rain at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was the same summer Ronaldo left Manchester United for Real Madrid in what was a world-record soccer transfer at that time.
Mayorga, then 25 years old, says she talked with Ronaldo during the evening, then went to his $1,000-per-night penthouse at the Hotel Palms Place, where she alleges Ronaldo sexually assaulted her.
June 13, 2009 - Mayorga reports rape to police
The German publication Der Spiegel says "there is a recording of Mayorga's call to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department" at 2.16. p.m. on June 13.
A "computer-aided dispatch," also known as a CAD report, is drawn up which lists the number 426 - a code for sexual offences. The officer who spoke to Mayorga noted in the report that the caller was upset, said the alleged perpetrator was an "athlete," but wouldn't provide the name.
Within 14 minutes, police arrived at Mayorga's home and, with her permission, brought her to the University Medical Center for a rape kit examination later in the afternoon.
The following weeks - Mayorga felt "sick and confused"
In the following days, Mayorga told Der Spiegel she "felt sick and confused," adding: "I still had no emotion. Through this whole thing… it took me three months to cry."
Weeks later, after hiring a lawyer from a friend's recommendation, Mayorga names Ronaldo as the alleged attacker and an officer visits Mayorga to record a statement. She later requests the officer does not do anything with the statement. Spiegel said this is because "she wasn't emotionally stable."
By the end of June, "several lawyers" are involved in the case. Ronaldo is made aware of it through his Portuguese lawyer Carlos Osorio de Castro.
Around this time, a list of hundreds of questions was drawn up and sent to Ronaldo, his brother-in-law, and his cousin, according to Spiegel. Ronaldo is referred to as "X" in the document and Mayorga as "Ms. C."
September 2009 - "She said no and stop several times"
An early version of the questionnaire, shared via email in September 2009 among Ronaldo's legal representatives, included a question as to whether "Ms. C" ever screamed. Spiegel reports that "X" said: "She said no and stop several times."
Also in this version of the questionnaire, "X" 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."
The answer continued: "But she kept saying 'No.' 'Don't do it.' 'I'm not like the others.' I apologized afterwards."
December 2009 - Ronaldo speaks of consensual sex
Spiegel reports that, in a later version of the questionnaire from December, Ronaldo allegedly said the incident was consensual.
January 12, 2010 - Mayorga and Ronaldo reportedly agreed an NDA
Mayorga's legal representative and Ronaldo's attorneys reportedly sign an out-of-court settlement, according to Spiegel. Ronaldo, who was not present at the meeting, allegedly agreed to pay Mayorga $375,000. But this payment meant Mayorga could "never again speak about that night."
Years later - Mayorga "completely disintegrates" when she sees Ronaldo on billboards
Mayorga's mother provided details of what life was like in the aftermath of the alleged sexual assault, and claimed her daughter would "completely disintegrate" whenever she saw Ronaldo on a billboard.
"Every day, she lives it," Cheryl Mayorga told Spiegel. "There were times when she would call me and his - he would be on a billboard or whatever, and she would just completely disintegrate. Having to walk into a store to get a pint of milk, and you've got his picture everywhere.
"He's the soccer god that everybody thinks is just perfect and flawless," Cheryl Mayorga said. "And she can't even get out of bed some days. It's just wrong. We're behind her 100%."
April 19, 2017 - Spiegel publishes "Cristiano Ronaldo's secret"
Spiegel publishes an exclusive feature called "Cristiano Ronaldo's secret," an article about an anonymous American woman who claims to have been raped by the soccer player.
It details a chance meeting in Las Vegas in June 12, 2009 and an alleged incident at a $1,000 per night room at the Palms Place Hotel. Spiegel says it possesses a copy of a letter from "Susan K." (later understood to be Mayorga) to Ronaldo, as well as "an out-of-court deal." The publication says "nobody" wanted to talk when it sought comment from Susan K., her family, and her friends.
The article then states that "he took her and put her on the bed," that she screamed "no," and that he "supposedly said 99% of the time he was a good guy but that he doesn't know what happened to that 1%."
The claims were dismissed by Ronaldo's legal representatives.
April 27, 2018 - Ronaldo's agent denies Spiegel's reports
Ronaldo's soccer agent Jorge Mendes dismisses the reports as "journalistic fiction," but Spiegel says it has "evidence" that Ronaldo knew about the negotiations with the American woman "Susan K."
September 29, 2018 - Mayorga waives right to anonymity
Mayorga goes public with her story in Spiegel.
Spiegel says Mayorga agreed to the $375,000 payoff "out of fear for herself and her family" and "out of impotence, the inability to stand up to him." Mayorga says that, in the #metoo era, she "always wondered" whether any other women "were sexually abused by Ronaldo."
That same day, Ronaldo's lawyers threatened to sue Spiegel for publishing "blatantly illegal" accusations from Mayorga, according to Reuters.
September 30, 2018 - Spiegel sports journalist responds
Christoph Winterbach, one of the Spiegel journalists responsible for the ongoing story, lifted the lid on Spiegel's journalistic practices and the extensive research and legal procedures articles like his are subject to in a Twitter thread.
He called Mayorga's former lawyer in 2009 "unexperienced," reiterated the publication's position that it had "signed documents" that were able to identify Ronaldo, and that the soccer player admitted Mayorga said "no" and "stop."
At this point, it is clear Mayorga is working with the attorney Leslie Mark Stovall of Stovall & Associates in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Stovall told Spiegel in its September 2018 article that their claim seeks to have the $375,000 settlement and "non-disclosure agreement declared void" because Mayorga was not "competent to enter into the agreement" due to "psychological injury."
He even said his client was still suffering from post-traumatic stress after undergoing an examination from a forensic psychologist earlier in the year.
October 1, 2018 - Mayorga files lawsuit against Ronaldo
USA Today reports that a lawsuit is filed against Ronaldo alleging a sexual assault in June 2009.
October 2, 2018 - Police reopen a sexual assault case
Las Vegas police reopen a sexual assault investigation, according to the BBC.
"At the time the report was taken, the victim did not provide detectives with the location of the incident or suspect description," a statement said. "The case has been reopened and our detectives are following up on information being provided."
Ronaldo posted an Instagram Live message where he called the allegations "fake news," according to Sky.
"They wanna promote by my name, it's normal," he said. "They wanna be famous to say my name, yeah, but it's part of the job. I'm a happy man and all good."
October 3, 2018 - Ronaldo says "rape is an abominable crime"
Ronaldo posts a denial on Twitter saying the accusations are mere ploys for people to make themselves famous.
"I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me," he said. "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 by people seeking to promote themselves at my expense."
October 4, 2018 - Portugal dumps Ronaldo from its latest national team squad
Portugal says it stands in "total solidarity" with Cristiano Ronaldo over the rape accusations made against him - but excludes him from its national squad.
He played no part in the UEFA Nations League match against Poland or the international friendly against Scotland in October.
October 5, 2018 - Nike is "deeply concerned"
Nike, the massive sports retail company that has a $1 billion agreement with Cristiano Ronaldo, says it is "deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations" made against him.
EA Sports expresses similar alarm over the accusations, but Ronaldo receives support from his club, Juventus FC. He continues to represent Juventus in soccer matches.
"Ronaldo has shown in recent months his great professionalism and dedication which is appreciated by everyone at Juventus," the club said in a statement. "The events allegedly dating back to almost 10 years ago do not change this opinion, which is shared by anyone who has come into contact with this great champion."
October 10, 2018 - Ronaldo's lawyer blames cybercriminals
Cristiano Ronaldo's lawyer in America, Peter S. Christiansen, releases a statement reiterating the player's denial of the rape allegations made against him.
Christiansen even says the allegations are based on "fabricated documents" which may have been sold to the media by a cybercriminal.
Ronaldo's position, according to Christiansen, is that what happened in 2009 was "completely consensual."
January 9, 2019 - Ronaldo's denies claim of psychological abuse from a second woman
Getty Images
Getty Images
Cristiano Ronaldo firmly denies accusations from a separate woman who said he was psychologically abusive to her.
Jasmine Lennard, who claims she dated Ronaldo in 2008, said he once told her that if she dated anyone else or left her house, he'd have her kidnapped and her body "cut up and put in a bag and thrown in a river."
Lennard said she had been in regular contact with the Juventus FC striker and that she wanted to help Kathryn Mayorga. Ronaldo denies all the allegations, and says he doesn't know Lennard.
January 10, 2019 - Las Vegas police issues warrant for Ronaldo's DNA
Las Vegas police say they want a sample of Cristiano Ronaldo's DNA so they can see whether it matches DNA found on Mayorga's dress in 2009.
Ronaldo's lawyer responds by saying the DNA warrant is a "very standard request." The lawyer adds that it would not be surprising to discover matching DNA because what occurred in 2009 was "consensual."
January 15, 2019 - Mayorga's lawyers contact Lennard
Mayorga's lawyers tell USA Today that they plan to meet Lennard, after the former "Big Brother" contestant accused Ronaldo of being a "psychopath" on Twitter.
Lennard made her social media statements saying she hoped her experiences helped Mayorga with her own case. Mayorga's lawyers spoke to Lennard on the phone and planned to meet Lennard and her attorney at a later date.
March 12, 2019 - ESPN suggests Ronaldo's lawyers may be employing delay tactics
ESPN attempted to doorstep Ronaldo's lawyers in Las Vegas but were turned away. Later in the article, ESPN suggests the soccer player's legal team's tactics may involve "running the clock."
EPSN says Mayorga's lawsuit against Ronaldo "has stalled" because he has not been served notice of the lawsuit. He reportedly has not authorized Christiansen, his American lawyer in Las Vegas, to accept the notice on his behalf. Christiansen hasn't replied to Business Insider's emails for comment.
Abed Awad, an international law expert, told ESPN that "a rich defendant can wear down a plaintiff with lesser means." Awad said: "It's a delaying tactic, and it's a calculated strategy. Sometimes it works, sometimes it backfires."
March 20, 2019 - Juventus avoids off-season matches in the US in case Ronaldo gets detained
Juventus will compete in the annual off-season tournament the International Champions Cup, but according to the New York Times, the club requested that its games were not scheduled in the United States. This is so the apparent risk of Ronaldo being detained by authorities investigating the rape case is avoided, the Times said.
This story is ongoing.
The full English version of the story about rape accusations against Cristiano Ronaldo is now online. https://t.co/OjZns71pYl
- SPIEGEL ONLINE English (@SPIEGEL_English) September 29, 2018
This is a thread about the rape allegations vs. @Cristiano: About our research @derSpiegel, about Ronaldo's reaction and a little insight into why the alleged victim Kathryn Mayorga speaks out about the case nine years later. This is the story btw: https://t.co/fwv26PhCSx 1/24
- Christoph Winterbach (@derWinterbach) September 30, 2018
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.
- Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) October 3, 2018
.@Cristiano Ronaldo has shown in recent months his great professionalism and dedication, which is appreciated by everyone at Juventus. 1/1
- JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) October 4, 2018
Told me if I dated anyone else or if I left my house he'd have me kidnapped and have my body cut up and put in a bag and thrown in a river. Yes I have proof of everything I'm saying. He's a psychopath. https://t.co/SEXdys4JUs
- QUEEN OF THE DAMNED (@Jasminelennard) January 8, 2019