Berlin - A woman who has accused football star Cristiano
Ronaldo of raping her gained courage from the #MeToo movement to file
a complaint, her lawyer has said.
The Juventus and Portugal forward has denied any wrongdoing after
being accused by Kathryn Mayorga of raping her in Las Vegas in 2009.
At a press conference in Las Vegas Wednesday, lawyer Leslie Stovall
said: "The #MeToo movement and the women who have stood up and
disclosed sexual assaults publicly have given Ms Mayorga a lot of
courage and has enabled her to come forward to file her civil
complaint and to police."
Mayorga, who was not at the press conference, has left Las Vegas to
escape the attention surrounding the case, Stovall said.
Ronaldo had said on Twitter Wednesday he awaited the result of a
reopened police inquiry "with tranquillity."
"I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. Rape is an
abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe
in," he wrote.
"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."