Cristiano Ronaldo rape lawsuit dismissed by US judge Jennifer Dorsey in Las Vegas

A rape lawsuit against Cristiano Ronaldo has been dismissed by a US judge.

District Judge Jennifer Dorsey dismissed the case on Friday to punish the woman’s attorney, Leslie Mark Stovall, after claiming “bad-faith conduct” and the use of “purloined” confidential documents, tainted the case beyond redemption.

Kathryn Mayorga, who the Associated Press says “received $375,000 in hush money” after saying Ronaldo had raped her in 2009, has now lost her bid to claim millions more in a lawsuit.

“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,” Dorsey’s ruling said. “Harsh sanctions are merited.”

Stovall is yet to respond to telephone and email messages, and the player’s attorney in Las Vegas, Peter Christiansen, was not available for comment – AP said.

AP says, despite the ruling, Mayorga and her legal team “could appeal the decision to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.”