Former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor appeared before a High Court jury on Tuesday morning (5 November). Both McGregor and the alleged victim, Nikita Ni Lamhain (Hand), were present in court when the trial began. Hand filed a civil suit in 2021, alleging that he and James Lawrence had sex with her against her will in December 2018 while inebriated in a hotel room.
Cases of sex*al assault in MMA are nothing new; McGregor’s, in particular, has been quite an old blemish. Both Conor McGregor and Lawrence have denied the claims. The trial is expected to last two weeks, Judge Alexander Owens told the 12 jurors (four men and eight women), per The Irish Times. On Tuesday, gynecologist Dr Daniel Kane, who works at Rotunda Hospital and treated Hand, also testified.
According to the Irish Mirror (›irishmirror.ie/sport/civil-action-34043186), Kane said the clinical observations were “consistent with the outline of events as described by Nikita (Hand).” Kane said there were bruises all over Hand’s body, and he saw Hand shaking and crying.
The jury was shown pictures of the bruises. Kane also said he performed a sex*al assault examination kit to collect DNA samples before authorities. The plaintiff is seeking around $2 million for lost wages, moving house, and medical expenses.
A woman who alleges she was raped by MMA star Conor McGregor has been giving evidence in her civil action for damages against the MMA fighter. Nikita Ní Laimhín, or Nikita Hand, claims the sexual assault occurred in a Dublin hotel in 2018. McGregor denies the allegation. pic.twitter.com/U7ChVVqZoi
— Virgin Media News (@VirginMediaNews) November 5, 2024
McGregor avoided criminal assault charges when the case was first brought to authorities, prompting the plaintiff to file a multimillion-dollar lawsuit. This was in the wee frames of 2021. ‘The Notorious’ and his side are also billing it as “an attempt at extortion,” given his gargantuan net worth. Hand also detailed further tidbits during testimony.
Nikita Ni Lamhain gives further details while testifying
McGregor, 36, allegedly shared cocaine with the alleged victim and then took her back to the hotel. Kane also testified to removing a tamp*n “wedged in the very, very top” of the plaintiff when she went to A&E. Nikita Ni Lamhain said the UFC star pinned her to bed, telling her, “Now you know what it was like in the Octagon when I went down three times.”
Hand said she attended a fancy dress party at a club hours before the alleged incident, drinking alcohol and taking cocaine. She said McGregor, whose cousin she befriended, commented on an Instagram she had posted. He was also allegedly asking where Nikita Ni Lamhain was. The comment comes weeks after Hand asked Conor McGregor for a bottle of the UFC star’s Irish whiskey, Proper Twelve.
Hand claims she doesn’t remember much beyond being taken home in a taxi later that day. After telling her mother of the assault, Nikita Ni Lamhain made a trip to the emergency room. A month later, she reported it to the police. In the lawsuit, she cited problems from the alleged assault. She has been unable to work since May 2019 and is seeking damages of between $1.79m and $2.13m for loss of wages.
The civil trial will resume Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. local time (5:30 a.m. ET). The jury will avoid reading any feedback on social media. Conor McGregor has not had a ballot appearance since his 2021 TKO leg break. The current trajectory could naturally tie him up a little more.
