Conor McGregor has lost his civil jury appeal against a ruling that he sexually assaulted a woman in a Dublin hotel in 2018.
In November, the former UFC champion was ordered to pay £206,000 in damages plus legal costs to Nikita Hand, who accused him of rape.
McGregor’s legal team argued that his repeated use of “no comment” during police interviews should not have been heard by the jury and that a question on the jury’s issue paper should have specified “sexual assault” rather than “assault.”
Three senior judges at the Court of Appeal dismissed all grounds of appeal, ruling there had been “no real risk of unfair trial” and calling it “simply unreal” to suggest jurors were confused by the wording of the question.
McGregor, who did not attend the hearing, now has no further civil appeal options. His friend James Lawrence, also accused by Ms Hand but cleared by the jury, lost his separate appeal against paying costs.
Speaking outside court, Ms Hand said:
“This appeal retraumatised me over and over again, forcing me to relive what happened. But today I can finally move on and try to heal. To every survivor out there — don’t be silenced. You deserve to be heard, and you deserve justice.”
The court also noted McGregor withdrew an attempt to introduce new evidence suggesting alternative causes for Ms Hand’s injuries, awarding her costs on that matter as well.
