More details emerge from the two lawsuits that have been filed against the UFC star.
[CW: The following story details an alleged sexual assault]
Conor McGregor’s legal troubles aren’t over yet.
Ahead of his UFC 257 bout, more details have come out from the two recently filed multimillion dollar civil suits against the Irish MMA superstar. The New York Times has revealed this lawsuit is in relation to McGregor’s previous arrest and investigation for rape from December 2018, with the alleged victim seeking a sum of $1.79 million to $2.13 million.
The report also published some new and disturbing details from the suit.
McGregor and the woman grew up in the same area and “previously socialised in the same wider circles,” according to the statement of claim. In the early hours of Dec. 9, 2018, after exchanging what the lawsuit called “flirtatious” messages on Instagram with McGregor, the woman and a friend were picked up by McGregor’s driver and taken to a Dublin hotel, along with one of McGregor’s friends.
The woman, who had been at a work holiday party, believed that she would be partying with McGregor, the lawsuit said. In the car on the way to the hotel, a bag of cocaine was “produced” and the woman said she took some.
While in the penthouse suite, the woman said in the statement of claim that she was “beckoned” to the bedroom by McGregor, who asked her to perform a lewd act on him, which she refused. McGregor began kissing the woman and removing her clothes, over her protestations, the statement said. After she bit and hit McGregor, he wrapped his arms around her neck and lifted her up three times, after which she ceased fighting back.
McGregor then told her, “That’s how I felt in the Octagon, I had to tap myself out three times, that’s how I felt,” the lawsuit said. McGregor raped her, according to the statement of claim, and demanded she lie on the bed next to him afterward.
The woman fell asleep and woke up in the early evening of Dec. 9, after which McGregor left the hotel with the woman’s work colleague before returning, the lawsuit said. McGregor’s friend gave her a drink. Her only memory thereafter is of being in a taxi, according to the statement. She said she was later told by the police that McGregor’s friend said he had sex with her, but she had no recollection of it and did not consent.
She was examined in a sexual assault treatment unit at a hospital after her mother called her an ambulance when she arrived home, the lawsuit said. According to the statement, bruising was found on most of her body, and she had abrasions on her face, neck and right breast.
According to the filing, the woman is suffering from psychological and emotional problems from the said incident.
In Ireland, the difference of a civil vs criminal case is that the latter must be proven “beyond a reasonable doubt,” while the former is just on a “balance of probabilities,” where “the occurrence of the event was more likely than not.” Prosecutors reportedly declined to pursue criminal charges against McGregor, and this civil case was instead filed.
Apart from being investigated and sued for rape, McGregor has dealt with many other incidents and legal issues in the past. Many of these made headlines, such as a 2020 arrest in France for having “allegedly exhibited his private parts to the young woman without her consent,” a 2019 assault charge for punching an older man, and others.
According to the Independent, there were many less public cases, where McGregor is said to have 18 previous convictions. This reportedly includes an older assault conviction, and many “road traffic offenses.”
Survivors of sexual assault can find support via the following organizations:
US – Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN)’s National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). RAINN also has an online chat service.
Love is Respect, 1-866-331-9474. They can also be reached via online chat or by texting LOVEIS to 22522.
End Rape on Campus (EROC), 1-424-777-EROC (3762).
Canada – Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime, 1-877-232-2610.
UK – UK Says No More.
Rest of the World – International Rape Crisis Hotlines.