Conor McGregor has followed through with his plan to appeal a 2024 civil assault trial in Ireland.
McGregor officially filed an appeal last Friday for a civil trial which ordered him to pay €248,000 in damages following allegations of rape. News of his official appeal was confirmed this week by the BBC.
Last year, Irish hairdresser Nikita Hand was given a trial for her 2021 lawsuit against McGregor. The case alleged that she suffered severe mental and physical damage due to a 2018 encounter with McGregor, where she was allegedly raped inside a Dublin penthouse.
Hand alleged that she was under the influence of cocaine and alcohol at the time of the assault. She suffered numerous bruises and marks on her body, damages which a doctor told the courts were “consistent with the outline of events [Hand] described.”
The Dublin High Court also heard about mental struggles suffered in recent years, notably being unable to hold a job since her 2018 meeting with McGregor.
McGregor has strongly railed against the court’s decision to find him liable in the civil case. In fact, his passionate feelings on the result have nearly put him even further in trouble. He was warned by the trial’s judge that comments, such as a remark about being tried in a “kangaroo court,” could cause him to be held in contempt of court.
McGregor mentioned shortly after the November verdict that he planned to appeal the result.
While McGregor is still a welcomed presence in the combat sports world – appearing at bare-knuckle boxing events and still under contract with the UFC – the civil trial caused a hit to his reputation.
He most notably saw Irish whisky brand Proper No. 12 distance themselves from him. While McGregor sold the brand in 2021 to Proximo Spirits, they had up until recently kept their brand closely tied to the former UFC champ. As of late 2024, each bottle from the company came with a message from McGregor on the back.
The case will return to court on March 6, per The Irish Times.
