The Facts Behind the Conor McGregor Personal Injury Lawsuit

Conor McGregor is one of the world’s top mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters and he’s in the news for 2 reasons. One is that he made a long-awaited return to the ring in January 2021 after a year’s absence. The second, and less savory, reason is that he is the subject of a multi-million dollar lawsuit.

The allegations in the Conor McGregor personal injury lawsuit date back to 2018. The strict laws regarding privacy in McGregor’s home country of Ireland prevent a lot of the details from being revealed to the public.

Here is what we do know…

• It was an alleged sexual assault and would have taken place at Dublin’s Beacon Hotel. McGregor was known to occasionally stay there and witnesses place him at the hotel the night of the alleged incident.
• The woman who filed the complaint was someone who had known McGregor for a period of years. The woman’s mother also filed a lawsuit in the High Court of Dublin against McGregor and an associate of the MMA star, whose name has not been made public.
• The incident was denied by McGregor. A subsequent investigation by Ireland’s police involved witness interviews and reviewing of security camera footage. Nothing could be found that would disprove McGregor’s denial.

The failure to prove criminal charges doesn’t prevent a plaintiff from filing a civil claim, as has been done here. Although, it will present another legal hurdle that the plaintiffs will have to clear, if they are to win.

“We can’t really comment on the substantive issues,” plaintiff’s lawyer David Coleman said. “…I do represent those ladies, we have issued these proceedings before the court and we’re satisfied that our case is well-founded…”

Even though McGregor was not charged in the 2018 investigation, he does have a history of taking his propensity for fighting outside of the ring. In the past, he has been fined for punching a man at a pub, with the punch captured on video. He has also been arrested for throwing a hand truck at a bus that other MMA fighters were riding on. The latter incident took place in 2019.

Nonetheless, the charges in the sexual assault case are much more serious and McGregor’s legal defense is confident of their position. “The plaintiff knows the facts contradict the assertions in this lawsuit,” said Karen Kessler, a spokesperson for the MMA fighter. “Mr. McGregor will dispute any claims and is confident that justice will prevail.”