Conor McGregor has lost his appeal against a civil jury’s finding that he assaulted a woman in a Dublin hotel in 2018. The MMA fighter’s appeal was dismissed on all five grounds by the Court of Appeal on Thursday.
The woman had sued McGregor over an incident at the Beacon Hotel in south Dublin, where she alleged he “brutally raped and battered” her. The jury found McGregor civilly liable for assault, awarding her €248,603.60 in damages and ordering him to pay approximately €1.3 million in legal costs.
McGregor’s appeal included a ground based on fresh evidence from a former neighbour, but his legal team withdrew that earlier this month. The remaining grounds largely concerned the admission of his “no comment” answers to gardai during the trial.
Co-defendant James Lawrence also lost his appeal against the trial judge’s decision not to award him legal costs. The jury had not found Lawrence assaulted the woman, but the judge ruled she did not have to pay his costs.
Delivering the judgment, Mr Justice Brian O’Moore said the Court of Appeal dismissed both appeals in their entirety. Speaking outside court, the woman said: “To every survivor out there, I know how hard it is but please don’t be silenced … You deserve to be heard, you also deserve justice. Today, I can finally move on and try to heal.”
