Rape charges against Cristiano Ronaldo 'were not dropped' says accuser's lawyer after reports of voluntary dismissal emerge

Los Angeles: A rape lawsuit filed in the United States against Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo has not been dropped, the plaintiff’s lawyer said Wednesday, dismissing a report to the contrary.

“The charges were not dropped,” said Larissa Drohobyczer, attorney for Kathryn Mayorga, who claims she was sexually assaulted by the Portuguese soccer star in a Las Vegas hotel in 2009.

A Bloomberg report that the case had been dropped stemmed from the filing of a notice of voluntary dismissal last month in Nevada state court in Las Vegas.

“The state case was dismissed by us because we filed the identical claims in federal court due to federal court’s rules on serving foreigners. We basically just switched venues but the claims remain,” Drohobyczer told AFP.

Ronaldo, 34, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid player, has strongly denied the accusations against him.

Mayorga, 35, said last year that while she had agreed to a financial settlement with Ronaldo shortly after the alleged incident, her emotional trauma at the time did not allow her to participate in the mediation process.

Following her renewed accusations, Las Vegas police reopened an investigation.

Ronaldo is one of the biggest stars of world football and is a five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or award for the world’s best player.