UCF fighter Conor McGregor has lost his appeal over the verdict in the Nikita Hand civil rape case.
Mr McGregor was not in court for the verdict this afternoon, whilst Ms Hand was.
Three judges announced their decision at the Court of Appeal on Thursday, after McGregor appealed a jury finding at the High Court which found him liable for rape last year. The judgement followed the appeal having been heard over two days earlier this month.
Justice Moore today said that there were no plausible grounds submitted by McGregor’s legal team as to why an “important and contentious” part of the appeal was cast aside, and awarded Ms Hand legal costs relating to the new evidence, the Irish Independent reports.
The jury at the civil trial awarded Ms Hand almost €250,000 after she sued Mr McGregor for damages for raping her at the Beacon Hotel in Dublin in December 2018.
McGregor denied the claims, insisting that he had consensual and “vigorous” sex with Ms Hand on the night in question. He claimed that the judge in the jury trial had made an error in directing the High Court civil jury to decide whether “assaulted”, rather than “sexually assaulted” Nikita Hand.
The appeal centred on new claims that Ms Hand had allegedly been punched and kicked by her then partner just hours after she says she was raped by McGregor.
Nikita Hand had denied any altercation had taken place between her and her former partner.