Conor McGregor has lost his appeal against a civil jury’s finding that he sexually assaulted a woman in a Dublin hotel in 2018. The Court of Appeal in Dublin, comprising three judges, unanimously rejected all five grounds put forward by McGregor’s legal team. The original High Court ruling, delivered in November, held McGregor civilly liable for the assault on Nikita Hand and ordered him to pay nearly €250,000 (£215,000) in damages, along with approximately €1.3 million (£1.1 million) in legal fees.
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One of McGregor’s central grounds for appeal involved the admissibility of his “no comment” responses during Garda interviews, which the court permitted as evidence. Additionally, his team initially submitted new evidence – an affidavit from a former neighbour of Ms Hand – but this was withdrawn earlier this month. Delivering the judgement, Mr Justice Brian O’Moore stated clearly: “I therefore dismiss the appeal in its entirety,” ending McGregor’s attempt to overturn the verdict.
Speaking outside the court, Ms Hand described the legal process as “a long and painful journey”, saying the appeal had caused her to be “re-traumatised over and over again”. Despite the emotional toll, she urged other survivors not to remain silent, stating: “You deserve to be heard, you also deserve justice.” She declined to comment when asked if she had any message for McGregor.
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McGregor’s co-defendant, James Lawrence, also failed in his appeal relating to legal costs. Although the jury found that he had not assaulted Ms Hand, the trial judge ruled that she would not be liable for his costs – a decision upheld by the Court of Appeal. Neither McGregor nor Lawrence attended the court for the final judgement, while Ms Hand was embraced by supporters as the ruling was handed down.
