UFC star Conor McGregor was charged Tuesday with sexually assaulting a woman after a 2023 NBA Finals game.
The lawsuit comes nearly two years after McGregor was first accused by a woman of sexually assaulting him in a restroom at the Caseya Center after Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets on June 9. It happened later. The Heat and Caseya Center were co-defendants.
The initial interaction between McGregor and the woman was friendly, according to the complaint. However, as the woman attempted to leave the Quesaya Center Courtside Club area, she said she was grabbed by one of McGregor’s friends or a private security guard and taken to a nearby restroom.
McGregor led her to the store where the alleged assault took place, according to the complaint.
Mr McGregor’s lawyer said Tuesday’s filing was “another false story”.
“After a thorough investigation at the time, the state attorney concluded there was no case to pursue,” McGregor’s attorney Barbara Llanes told The Athletic, referring to a 2023 criminal investigation into the same charges. said in a statement. “After almost two years and at least three attorneys, the plaintiffs have come forward with a new false story. We are confident that this case will also be dismissed.”
The Heat and Caseya Center declined to comment on the lawsuit, and requests for comment from the UFC were not returned.
The lawsuit comes two months after another woman won a civil lawsuit against McGregor in November, accusing him of raping her in a Dublin hotel room in December 2018. Mr McGregor denied the charges but was ordered to pay $257,000 to his accusers.
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The woman in Tuesday’s lawsuit is identified as “49 years old, employed as a senior vice president at a well-known Wall Street financial institution,” and is seeking compensation for “past and future medical expenses, damages, and expenses.” I’m looking for. and such further relief as the court deems necessary.”
In an email to The Athletic on Wednesday, her attorney James Dunn said it is important to note that the plaintiff filed a police report on June 11, 2023, shortly after the incident. said. Less than a week later, the Heat released the following statement: A thorough investigation was conducted.
“Since the Miami-Dade County Prosecutor’s Office has chosen not to file criminal charges, civil litigation is my client’s only avenue to seek justice in this case,” Dunn said. “My client has thought long and hard about the decision to proceed with this civil action and is concerned about the potential impact on his Wall Street job.”
Dunn said McGregor exercised his Fifth Amendment and Miranda rights in 2023 and did not say anything to the officers.
Dunn said the plaintiffs’ primary purpose in filing the lawsuit is to raise awareness about sexual assault and encourage others to report sexual assault.
The suit also cites an incident in which McGregor injured a man playing the role of Bernie, the Heat mascot. The incident, which occurred in the third quarter of the same match where the sexual assault allegation occurred, began as a skit in which McGregor punched Barney and ended with the mascot being sent to hospital with injuries.
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According to Tuesday’s complaint, staff at the Caseya Center were “notified” after the incident with Barney that “McGregor could pose a threat to patrons.” The lawsuit says arena staff “had culpable knowledge of the heightened risk of assault by Mr. McGregor,” but that their failure to warn or protect the woman showed they were conscious of the safety of the audience. They claim that this shows that they are ignoring the issue.
McGregor, 36, has not fought in the UFC since losing to Dustin Poirier in 2021. He withdrew from a scheduled fight with Michael Chandler in July due to injury, and then announced that he had agreed to a boxing exhibition with Logan Paul in India.
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(Photo: David Fitzgerald / Sportsfile via Getty Images)
