A 49-year-old executive at a “high profile financial institution” filed a civil lawsuit on Tuesday accusing former UFC star Connor McGregor of sexually assaulting her in the bathroom at the Kaseya Center during the 2023 NBA finals in Miami.
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous to “avoid embarrassment and shame,” previously reported her allegations to police, and prosecutors did not file charges against the UFC fighter. In a statement to HuffPost, her attorney, James Dunn, said that the prosecutor’s office decision to not to pursue a criminal case left a civil lawsuit as her only avenue for justice.
“My client has thought long and hard about the decision to pursue this civil case, and is fearful of the effect it may have on her job on Wall Street,” Dunn said, adding that her main goal in filing the suit is to raise awareness and encourage others to report sexual assault.
An attorney for McGregor told HuffPost on Wednesday that the allegations are false.
“After a thorough investigation at the time, the State’s Attorney concluded that there was no case to pursue,” Barbara 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.”
The woman’s lawsuit also names the Miami Heat and Kaseya Center, alleging that on June 9, 2023, stadium staff had failed to restrict McGregor from alcohol despite him being visibly intoxicated. The Kaseya Center did not immediately respond to HuffPost when reached out for a comment.
The lawsuit also noted that immediately before the alleged sexual assault, McGregor seriously injured the Miami Heat mascot in a skit gone wrong. Despite having knowledge that the mascot was taken to the hospital, Kaseya Center escorted McGregor back to the courtside club near the woman, putting her at “a heightened risk of battery,” the lawsuit said.
The woman was at the game with an acquaintance, and she engaged in a conversation with McGregor, according to the lawsuit. When her acquaintance said they were planning to leave, McGregor’s “private security or a friend” allegedly told the woman that “Conor told me to come get you” and grabbed her by the wrist.
The two women were then led toward the exit of the courtside club, but were stopped in front of the entrance of the men’s bathroom, according to the lawsuit. She told the man holding her wrist to let go, but he responded, “No, Conor will kill me if I lose you,” the lawsuit said.
McGregor then led her into a stall where he sexually assaulted her, according to the lawsuit. The acquaintance was outside the bathroom at the time, and the lawsuit noted that loud music coming from a DJ made communicating difficult.
Dunn said she then managed to leave the arena without creating a scene sometime after midnight, then went to police the following day.
“She was a regular at the Courtside club, and did not want to be embarrassed or draw attention to herself on that night or any other night,” Dunn said.
The new lawsuit comes just months after McGregor was ordered to pay €250,000 to a woman who accused him of raping her at a Dublin hotel in 2018. McGregor claimed his accuser fabricated the allegations and the two had consensual sex, but she said the incident left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
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