Former UFC champion Conor McGregor has lost his appeal in a civil sexual assault case filed by a Dublin woman, Nikita Hand.
On Thursday, the Court of Appeal in Dublin dismissed all five grounds raised by McGregor’s legal team, upholding the jury’s earlier decision from November that found him liable for assault. McGregor had been ordered to pay €248,603.60 in damages to Ms Hand, along with around €1.3 million in legal fees.
Ms Hand, 35, took the case to court over an incident she said happened in December 2018 at a hotel in South Dublin. She accused McGregor of raping and assaulting her. McGregor denied the claims, saying everything was consensual. However, the jury ruled against him.
During the appeal, McGregor’s lawyers had tried to raise new evidence, including a statement from a former neighbor of Ms Hand. But that part of the appeal was later dropped. The remaining arguments focused on whether some of McGregor's statements to police should have been used in court. The judges rejected all points.
Mr Justice Brian O’Moore, who delivered the final decision, said there was no reason to overturn the ruling.
A separate appeal by McGregor’s co-defendant, James Lawrence, was also dismissed. Lawrence had been cleared by the jury, but wanted Ms Hand to pay his legal costs. The court ruled she would not be responsible for that.
Ms Hand was present in court and was hugged by supporters after the judgment. Neither McGregor nor Lawrence attended the hearing.
