Der Spiegel stands by reporting on Ronaldo rape allegation

Der Spiegel, the German magazine that published an allegation of rape against Cristiano Ronaldo, denies claims from the player's lawyer that certain documents used in September's bombshell report were manipulated.

In the article, Kathryn Mayorga says Ronaldo raped her at a Las Vegas hotel in 2009. Documents used in the report that relate to a 2010 out-of-court settlement concerning the alleged rape are full of "complete fabrications," Ronaldo's lawyer said in a statement Wednesday.

Der Spiegel's journalists defended their reporting Thursday on Twitter:

Our story is carefully researched. We have hundreds of documents from different sources that substantiate our reporting ... We have no reason to believe that those documents are not authentic. Furthermore, as always and before publishing every single article in Der Spiegel, we have meticulously fact-checked our information and had it legally reviewed. We are therefore confident with the sources that we base our story upon. We stand by our reporting.

The magazine's story cites a questionnaire from the settlement in which Ronaldo admits Mayorga told him "no" and "stop" multiple times.

Ronaldo has firmly denied the accusations.

Der Spiegel says Peter S. Christiansen, Ronaldo's lawyer, contradicted a statement from the player's agency group in 2017 when the outlet first reported on the out-of-court settlement with Mayorga, which included a non-disclosure agreement. That account of the alleged assault relied on a letter the woman, then anonymous, wrote to Ronaldo as part of the agreement. At the time, Ronaldo's agents called the story "journalistic fiction," but his representative confirmed the existence of a settlement agreement Wednesday.

Der Spiegel also contends it gave Ronaldo and his legal team the opportunity to respond to the allegations before the story went to press and they chose not to.

Christiansen's comments come two weeks after Der Spiegel released an extensive interview with the 34-year-old Mayorga that detailed her experiences after the alleged incident. Mayorga filed a civil complaint against Ronaldo in a Nevada court in September. She's seeking to void the $375,000 settlement and non-disclosure agreement on the basis she was not mentally capable of reaching such a deal.

The lawsuit also accuses Ronaldo and his representatives of conspiracy, coercion and fraud, defamation, battery, breach of contract, and negligence.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid, which employed Ronaldo from 2009-18, denied knowing anything about the allegations. The club is suing Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha for "publishing categorically false information in an effort to seriously damage the image of the club."

Correio da Manha reported that Madrid pressured Ronaldo into settling the matter out of court. Ronaldo had secured a transfer to Los Blancos from Manchester United before the incident allegedly took place.