Ronaldo rape case moving toward trial after judge's ruling

A U.S. federal judge in Nevada will hear arguments to determine whether the woman who's accused Cristiano Ronaldo of rape was mentally fit to enter a confidentiality agreement with the Portuguese footballer.

Kathryn Mayorga, who said Ronaldo sexually assaulted her in 2009, was paid $375,000 in exchange for her silence after the alleged incident.

U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey said she will decide whether Mayorga "lacked the mental capacity" to sign the non-disclosure arrangement with the Juventus forward's representatives, and "whether any agreement ... was ever formed between the parties," according to Ken Ritter of the Associated Press.

No date has been set, and it's unclear if either Ronaldo or Mayorga will need to appear in court. Both sides were given until the end of November to agree on a plan for a trial.

Neither Peter Christiansen nor Leslie Mark Stovall - attorneys for Ronaldo and Mayorga, respectively - immediately responded when the Associated Press asked for comment.

Christiansen has the option to appeal Dorsey's ruling in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but it's unclear if he will do so.

Mayorga's lawsuit claims Ronaldo and/or his associates have allowed the financial settlement details to be made public, voiding the terms of their non-disclosure. Stovall also says Ronaldo's representatives pressured Mayorga to sign the agreement.

The 37-year-old is seeking an additional $200,000.

Ronaldo's lawyers claim cybercriminals were responsible for illegally hacking, altering, and leaking the settlement to the media.

Mayorga says Ronaldo sexually assaulted her in a Las Vegas hotel room after the two met at a nightclub in June 2009, but Ronaldo's lawyers maintain the sex was consensual.

The Clark County District Attorney's Office said it had closed its investigation into the matter in July of last year, and Ronaldo would not face criminal charges because the allegations against him "cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt."