Irish Court Rejects Conor McGregor's Appeal in Rape Case

 Irish Court Rejects Conor McGregor's Appeal in Rape Case

Conor McGregor, the Irish MMA star, has lost his appeal against a civil court ruling that ordered him to pay €250,000 in damages to a woman who accused him of rape. The woman, Nikita Hand, said the incident happened on December 9, 2018, after a Christmas party in Dublin. According to her testimony, she and a friend met McGregor, whom she already knew, and were later taken by him to a private party in a penthouse suite at a Dublin hotel. Hand told the court that drugs and alcohol were present at the party.

She testified that McGregor brought her into a bedroom and sexually assaulted her. The next day, she visited a sexual assault treatment center, where a doctor found injuries concerning enough to be photographed for documentation. McGregor denied all accusations, claiming the encounter was consensual and that he caused no harm or bruising.

In November, a jury found McGregor liable and ordered him to pay damages. His legal team appealed the verdict, arguing that the trial judge had made several errors in guiding the jury and allowing specific cross-examination questions. One of their main points was that the judge instructed the jury to consider whether McGregor "assaulted" rather than "sexually assaulted" the plaintiff.

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On Thursday, Ireland’s Court of Appeal firmly rejected McGregor’s appeal in its entirety. Judge Brian O’Moore stated that the trial judge’s directions were clear enough for the jury to understand that the case centered on an allegation of rape. The court ruled that there was no confusion about the nature of the allegations and found no grounds to overturn the decision.

McGregor’s team had also argued that it was improper for the trial judge to allow prosecutors to highlight McGregor’s “no comment” responses during a police interview. This argument was dismissed as well. The appeal judges said none of the points raised affected the fairness of the original trial.

McGregor did not attend the hearing on Thursday. Meanwhile, Nikita Hand, who was present in court, was visibly emotional after the ruling. She hugged supporters and later gave a statement outside the courthouse. In her remarks, she urged other survivors not to stay silent, saying they deserve justice too. She added that the ruling marked a turning point for her as she can now begin to heal.

The case has drawn attention both in Ireland and internationally due to McGregor’s fame and the seriousness of the accusation. While no criminal conviction is involved, civil rulings like this can still lead to major reputational and financial consequences.

With this appeal dismissed, the €250,000 damages verdict stands. McGregor has not yet commented publicly on the court's latest ruling.