Report: Conor McGregor files appeal against judgment in civil case accusing him of sexual assault
02/17/2025 02:00 PM
Conor McGregor has officially filed an appeal over the judgment against him in a civil lawsuit filed against the fighter over an alleged sexual assault that took place in 2018.
Numerous outlets in Ireland reported that McGregor filed his appeal with the courts this past Friday as he seeks to have the judgment overturned after a jury found him liable for sexual assault and ordered him to pay €248,603.60 (approx. $258,440).
Just days after the trial ended, McGregor vowed to appeal the verdict while continuing to proclaim his innocence in the case involving a woman named Nikita Hand, who accused the fighter of assaulting her in a Dublin, Ireland hotel.
"People want to hear from me, I needed time," McGregor wrote this past 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."
During the trial, Hand's attorney's argued that McGregor "raped and battered" their client but the 36-year-old fighter denied the allegations and claimed during his own testimony that the "sex with me was athletic, physical" but completely consensual.
When the trial ended, the jury found McGregor liable for sexual assault but exonerated his friend James Lawrence, who was also accused of assaulting Hand.
More recently, the court in Ireland ordered McGregor not to release CCTV footage featuring Hand that he retained after the civil case ended. The judge ordered that McGregor destroy or return any copies of the footage along with a sworn statement detailing how he deleted the footage.
Hand's attorney reportedly told the court he found the affidavit to be "entirely inadequate" and claimed that McGregor didn't actually comply with the order. The next hearing over that situation is scheduled for March 6.
In addition to the case in Ireland, McGregor faces a separate lawsuit in the United States where he's been accused of sexually assaulting a woman following his appearance at a Miami Heat basketball game. No criminal charges were ever filed against him.
McGregor's attorney Barbara Llanes released a statement vehemently denying the allegations after the lawsuit was filed in January.
"After a thorough investigation at the time, the State's Attorney concluded that there was no case to pursue," Llanes said. "Almost two years, and at least three lawyers later, the plaintiff has a new false story. We are confident that this case too will be dismissed."
