In a U.S. court, a Nevada lady lost her attempt to compel worldwide soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo to pay millions of dollars.
More than the $375,000 she received in hush money after accusing him of rape in Las Vegas in 2009.
To punish the woman's attorney, Leslie Mark Stovall, U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey in Las Vegas dismissed the case. That, according to Dorsey, contaminated the case beyond redemption.
Dorsey noted in her 42-page judgment that dismissing a case outright with no ability to re-file it is a harsh punishment, but that Stovall's actions had injured Ronaldo.
"I believe the acquisition and ongoing use of these papers was done in bad faith, and just removing Stovall will not alleviate Ronaldo's prejudice."
The court stated that "the plundered documents and their secret information are woven into the very fabric of (plaintiff Kathryn) Mayorga's allegations."