McGregor Loses Appeal in Irish Civil Rape Case
(FILES) Irish mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor (C) arrives to talk to the press after he pleaded guilty to a single violation of disorderly conduct in Brooklyn Criminal Court, on July 26, 2018. - A woman on November 22, 2024 won civil court damages claim against mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Conor McGregor over her allegation that he raped her in a Dublin hotel in 2018. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)
Mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor has lost an appeal in Ireland over a civil court ruling that awarded damages to a woman who accused him of rape.
A panel of three judges at the Court of Appeal in Dublin dismissed all grounds raised by McGregor, 36, against the 2023 High Court decision, which awarded €250,000 to Nikita Hand, 35. She alleged that McGregor raped and physically assaulted her in a Dublin hotel in 2018. McGregor has consistently claimed the encounter was consensual.
While Hand lost a related assault lawsuit against another man, McGregor was ordered to pay all legal costs for the civil trial—around €1.5 million.
McGregor’s lawyers argued that errors occurred during the trial, particularly in the way he was cross-examined, and sought a retrial. However, the Court of Appeal upheld the original decision.
After the ruling, Hand said the appeal had retraumatized her but added, “I can now finally move on and try to heal… To every survivor out there, please don’t be silenced. You deserve to be heard.”
McGregor, known as “The Notorious”, is a former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion. Recently, he has been in the spotlight not only for his sporting career but also for his political ambitions, including a planned run in Ireland’s presidential election this year.
In a separate case, McGregor was also sued in the United States earlier this year over an alleged sexual assault during an NBA game in Miami in 2023.
