Conor McGregor hasn’t fought in MMA since July 2021. (REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne)
Conor McGregor is facing a new sexual assault civil lawsuit.
ESPN reported Wednesday that a woman who previously accused McGregor of sexual assault in 2023 filed the lawsuit Tuesday, stemming from an incident at a 2023 NBA Finals game when the Miami Heat hosted the Denver Nuggets at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. Arena staff and security are also alleged to have committed gross negligence in the suit, which claims the woman was sexually assaulted in the arena bathroom.
An incident report was initially filed with the Miami police department 48 hours after the assault allegedly happened in June 2023. The Florida State Attorney’s office ultimately declined to progress with the charges in October 2023. The woman is described in the lawsuit as a 49-year-old Miami resident who works as a vice president at a “high profile financial institution” on Wall Street.
McGregor, 36, denied the allegations when made public in 2023.
“After a thorough investigation at the time, the State’s Attorney concluded that there was no case to pursue,” McGregor’s attorney, Barbara Llanes, said in an emailed statement to ESPN. “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.”
Medical treatment costs, compensatory damages and other relief from both the Miami Heat and McGregor are being sought in the lawsuit, barring whatever is deemed reasonable. The woman’s attorney, Jim Dunn, informed ESPN that his client wants to pursue the civil case to “raise awareness and encourage others to report sexual assault.”
The lawsuit filing comes shortly after McGregor was found liable in another sexual assault civil case, which stemmed from a December 2018 incident in Dublin, Ireland.
“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. “Nonetheless, her main goal in filing this suit is to raise awareness and encourage others to report sexual assault.”
According to the lawsuit, McGregor allegedly started talking to the woman in the Heat’s Courtside Club during the game before the woman and an acquaintance began leaving. The woman was then alleged to have been confronted by a member of McGregor’s team, who told the woman, “Conor told me to come get you,” before grabbing her by the wrist. She allegedly asked him to release her, and he responded, “No, Conor will kill me if I lose you.”
The suit alleges McGregor then grabbed the woman by the wrist and led her into the men’s bathroom, with her acquaintance following. Kesaya Center security and staff then allegedly refused to allow the acquaintance to follow as the alleged victim was forced into a stall with McGregor, leading to the assault, according to the lawsuit.
Regarding the staff and security negligence allegations, the lawsuit mentioned an earlier incident at the game where McGregor punched the Heat’s mascot twice, sending the man in the costume to the hospital. According to all involved, the incident was a planned on-court skit; however, the suit alleged that the mascot’s injuries weren’t known to the public and only to the arena staff.
Dunn alleged that McGregor received “special treatment” after the mascot incident, remaining in the arena and still getting served alcohol — some that McGregor allegedly poured himself. As a result, the suit alleges the Kaseya Center “had chargeable knowledge of a heightened risk of battery being carried out” by McGregor.
A former two-division UFC champion, McGregor has been absent from in-cage competition since a July 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier. He was scheduled to fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in June 2024 but withdrew after he suffered a broken pinky toe.
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