Conor McGregor has been ordered to pay the court costs associated with the lawsuit filed against him by a woman who claimed the UFC star sexually assaulted her at a Dublin, Ireland hotel in 2018.
On Thursday, Mr. Justice Alexander Owens issued the order for McGregor to pay costs incurred by Nikita Hand after a jury found him liable in a civil action brought against the veteran fighter. The legal costs could reportedly reach €1 million (approximately $1.05 million in U.S. dollars) according to the Irish Times.
The legal costs come in addition to damages awarded to Hand with McGregor ordered to pay €248,603.60 (approx. $258,440).
The judge did reject an application from Hand’s attorneys requesting costs awarded at the “solicitor and client basis,” which is the highest amount possible.
James Lawrence, who was tried alongside McGregor but not found liable of sexual assault in the same case, will not be allowed to pursue legal costs against Hand, per the judge’s orders.
During the latest proceedings, the judge also addressed continued outbursts from McGregor on social media where he issued numerous statements attacking the verdict while revealing plans to appeal the judgment against him. Owens said on Thursday that he hadn’t decided what he might do about McGregor’s statements but he could potentially charge him with contempt of court and called his actions “highly irresponsible.”
The judge added that McGregor was a “very rich man” and could afford to pay any penalty incurred from a possible contempt of court charge.
Following an 11 day trial, McGregor was found liable by the jury after Hand claimed that he “raped and battered” her during an assault in 2018. McGregor and his attorneys countered by stating that the “sex with [McGregor] was athletic, physical” but completely consensual.
In the aftermath of the trial, McGregor released several statements including one where he expressed regrets for his infidelity after spending more than a decade with his fiancée Dee Devlin, who is also the mother to his four children, but he vehemently denied assaulting Hand.
“People want to hear from me, I needed time,” McGregor wrote in November. “I know I made mistakes. Six years ago, I should have never responded to her outreaches. I should have shut the party down. I should never have stepped out on the woman I love the most in the world. That’s all on me.
“As much as I regret it, everything that happened that night was consensual and all the witnesses present swore to that under oath. I have instructed my legal team to appeal the decision.”
Devlin also issued her own fiery statement taking aim at Hand’s accusations following the conclusion of the trial.
McGregor’s attorneys stated Thursday that it was “highly likely” an appeal would be filed in the case.
Since the conclusion of the trial, the fallout for McGregor has continued with numerous business partners cutting ties with him including Proper No. 12 — the whiskey brand he started and later sold for hundreds of millions of dollars. Following the verdict, Proximo Spirits, the current owner of the Proper No. 12 label, said the brand would no longer be associated with McGregor moving forward and stated that he also wasn’t even a minority owner in the whiskey.
Source : MMAFighting