Conor McGregor has lost his appeal against a civil jury verdict that found him liable for sexually assaulting a woman in a Dublin hotel in 2018. As per BBC, the Court of Appeal in Dublin dismissed all five grounds of the UFC star’s legal challenge, reaffirming the original jury’s decision in favour of the complainant, Nikita Hand.In November 2023, McGregor was ordered to pay £206,000 in damages plus legal costs to Ms Hand, who alleged that the mixed martial arts fighter had “brutally raped and battered” her in a penthouse suite at the Beacon Hotel. The civil trial, which lasted three weeks, heard McGregor deny the allegations, insisting the encounter had been consensual.Reading out the ruling on behalf of the three-judge panel, Mr Justice Brian O’Moore was quoted by The Mirror as saying, “I find there is nothing in them justify setting aside finding of the jury. I therefore dismiss the appeal in its entirety.” Ms Hand was present in court for the verdict, while McGregor did not attend.McGregor’s legal team had contested several aspects of the original trial. One key ground of appeal involved the wording on the “issue paper” presented to jurors, which asked whether “Conor McGregor assaulted Nikita Hand”. His barrister argued it should have specified “sexual assault”. However, Ms Hand’s legal counsel countered, saying “assault” covers a wide range of acts and clarified they were dealing with “assault by rape”. As per BBC, the court noted that the jury would not have been misled by the language.Another significant point of appeal was the inclusion of McGregor’s “no comment” responses during police interviews, which his legal team argued could have unfairly influenced the jury by suggesting guilt. They said this potentially violated his right to silence. Ms Hand’s team, however, highlighted that no motion was made during the trial to dismiss the jury based on this issue, undermining the seriousness of the complaint.McGregor had also initially sought to introduce new evidence as part of his appeal, but as per The Independent, his legal team withdrew that bid earlier this month. With the appeal now fully rejected, the original civil court ruling and the damages award remain in place.The case remains a major legal setback for McGregor, a former dual-weight UFC champion, whose legal troubles continue to draw public scrutiny.
