'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
What's the story?
Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly set to be served with a summons regarding rape allegations against him as the accuser's lawyers have finally located his residence.
In case you didn't know
Last year, a woman named Kathryn Mayorga spoke to German media outlet DerSpeigel and made claims regarding an incident of sexual assault by Ronaldo.
Mayorga accused the Portuguese superstar of raping her in a Las Vegas hotel in June 2009. The incident reportedly took place when the former Real Madrid star was on holiday with his cousin and brother-in-law. She further alleged that the 34-year-old paid her $375,000 and forced her to sign a nondisclosure agreement after the incident.
Ronaldo has emphatically denied the allegations, tweeting, "I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in. Keen as I may be to clear my name I refuse to feed the media spectacle created by people seeking to promote themselves at my expense."
"My clear conscious (sic) will thereby allow me to await with tranquillity the results of any and all investigations."
Las Vegas police have since re-opened the investigation, with lawyers on both sides working on their case.
The heart of the matter
Mirror Football reports that Mayorga's lawyers have finally tracked down Ronaldo's residence in Italy and would be serving him a summons soon.
The victim's team had reportedly begun hunting for the address since the US police re-opened the investigation last October but found it difficut to do so because his property records have all been "blacked out".
The report claims that Ronaldo's lawyers have been attempting to get the case dismissed and refused to provide his address.
Having finally found his residence, Mayorga's lawyers have enlisted Italy's Central Authority, who are the official process servers, to deliver the summons.
Last month, a US judge allowed the team an extra 180 days for the summons to be delivered after their time ran out while struggling to find the Juventus star.
What's next?
The investigation into the case appears to be moving forward and it remains to be seen how the situation will pan out.
