Conor McGregor has lost his appeal against a civil jury’s decision that found him liable for assault in a r@pe case brought by Dublin woman Nikita Hand. The Court of Appeal in Dublin dismissed all five grounds raised by the former UFC champion, upholding the jury’s original verdict from November.
Ms Hand, 35, had filed a civil lawsuit against McGregor over an incident in December 2018, during which she alleged he “brutally raped and battered” her in a penthouse suite at a south Dublin hotel. McGregor denied the allegation, telling the court the sexual encounter was consensual. However, the jury found him civilly liable for assault and awarded Ms Hand €248,603.60 in damages. The court also ordered McGregor to pay approximately €1.3 million in legal costs.
The appeal, initially brought on five grounds, included an affidavit from Samantha O’Reilly, a former neighbour of Ms Hand, who claimed to have witnessed a physical altercation between Ms Hand and her then-partner around the time of the alleged assault. Earlier this month, McGregor’s legal team withdrew that part of the appeal, opting not to rely on the material.
The remainder of the appeal focused largely on procedural issues, including whether McGregor’s “no comment” responses during Garda questioning should have been admissible in the civil trial. The three-judge panel — Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, Mr Justice Brian O’Moore, and Mr Justice Patrick MacGrath — found no merit in any of the remaining arguments.
Delivering the ruling on Thursday, Mr Justice O’Moore said, “I therefore dismiss the appeal in its entirety.”
Also dismissed was a separate appeal brought by McGregor’s co-defendant, James Lawrence, who had been cleared by the jury of any wrongdoing. Lawrence had contested the trial judge’s refusal to award him legal costs, arguing that Ms Hand should pay as she did not succeed in her claims against him. The Court of Appeal upheld the lower court’s decision that Ms Hand would not bear his legal expenses.
Ms Hand, also known as Nikita Ní Laimhín, was present in court and was embraced by supporters following the judgment. Neither McGregor nor Lawrence attended the hearing.
