Nikita Hand WINS £1.25m prices from Conor McGregor after he ‘scandalised’ Irish High Court and ‘attacked the jury’ by calling her a ‘liar’ in wild social media rant after dropping rape case

Conor McGregor was humiliated today after he was ordered to pay Nikita Hand’s entire £1.25million (€1.5m) costs for bringing a civil rape claim against him.

McGregor, who must also hand her £210,000 (€250,000) in damages, may also face further punishment including a severe fine after the MMA star branded her a ‘vicious liar’ after losing the civil case in Dublin 13 days ago.

Ms Hand will also not have to pay co-defendant James Lawrence’s legal costs, even though she lost her claim him for assault, in a landmark ruling this afternoon.

She will pay her own costs in relation to her civil case against Mr Lawrence, but nothing more.

Mr Justice Alexander Owens ruled in her favour after her barrister John Gordon SC claimed that McGregor had ‘scandalised the court’ with a wild social media rant after losing.

McGregor had also said that it had been a ‘kangaroo court’ that found he had ‘brutally raped’ and ‘battered’ the ex-hair colourist in a Dublin hotel penthouse in 2018 – which had been a ‘direct insult’ to the jury, Mr Gordon said.

In his ruling the judge declared: ‘It is completely inappropriate to award Mr Lawrence any part of his costs even though he succeeded in his defence against Ms Hand’.

The judge admitted it was ‘most unsatisfactory’ that a litigant would attack the jury and accused them of disregarding the court rules.

It came after MailOnline revealed Nikita could end up owing McGregor more money than the €250,000 (£210,000) he has to pay her in damages. 

Remy Farrell SC, for Mr McGregor, opposed her application for his client to pay all her costs at today’s hearing in Dublin, which was not attended by the fighter or his victim.

McGregor had shook his head as he lost the case on November 22. But the jury did not find against McGregor’s co-accused and friend James Lawrence.

After the jury’s verdict came in McGregor left with no comment but later tweeted: ‘Nikita Hand, vicious liar! Two men falsely accused. One vindicated, the other soon to be!’.

John Gordon SC today told the High Court that his client wanted her costs to be paid by McGregor at the ‘highest possible level’, citing his behaviour during and following the trial as aggravating factors. He said the judge should take this into consideration when awarding legal costs in the bombshell case.

But senior counsel Gordon confirmed she was not seeking costs against Mr Lawrence.

John Gordon, SC for Ms Hand, said the conduct of Mr McGregor before, during and after the trial warranted him paying the entire costs of the proceedings.

Mr Gordon has made an application that Mr McGregor pay solicitor and own-client costs, which would cover his own as well as costs relating to Mr Lawrence.

It emerged during the case that Mr McGregor had been paying the legal costs of his friend.

The court was urged to take into consideration that Mr McGregor had posted after the verdict a series of social media posts, in which he described the court as a ‘kangaroo court’.

Mr Gordon said this was a ‘direct insult’ to the jury.

He also said that the ‘direct criticism’ of the jury should not go unremarked and should be considered as part of costs.

Justice Alexander Owens said it was ‘most unsatisfactory’ that a litigant would attack the jury and accused them of disregarding the court rules.

Mr Gordon claimed that as the jury found against Mr McGregor, it shows that they did not believe Mr Lawrence.

However, Remy Farrell, SC for Mr McGregor, rejected the application saying that the court does not have a wide discretion, as asserted by Mr Gordon, to award costs.

He said it should be done in the normal way, that costs the event.

John Fitzgerald, SC for Mr Lawrence, said his client was not involved in some ‘grand conspiracy theory’ against Ms Hand and claimed that the court was being asked to become the 13th juror in the case.

Nikita was handed a six-figure damages settlement after a jury in Dublin believed her story at the end of last month.

Nikita told the High Court that McGregor ‘pinned’ her down on the bed, choked her three times and left her thinking she was ‘going to die’. ‘I just let him do whatever he needed to do, so I could survive,’ she said of the attack during a drink and cocaine-fuelled Christmas ‘after-party’.

McGregor shook his head as he was ordered to pay Ms Hand more than €248,000 (£206,000) in damages at the end of last month.

But the jury did not find against McGregor’s co-accused and friend James Lawrence, who should be entitled to recoup his legal fees.

During the civil trial it was revealed that McGregor had paid Lawrence’s legal costs for him – and anything he gets back would be expected to go back to the MMA star. A costs hearing will be held next week.

Leading Irish barrister Shane English said: ‘In reality, if she got €250,000, I suspect his costs could be easily that or more.

‘You could easily find a situation where Ms Hands ends up owing money to Mr Lawrence, not withstanding what she has won’.

Mr English, who was not involved in Ireland’s biggest civil trial of the year, said he would expect McGregor’s friend to pursue Ms Hand for his legal costs.

These, presumably, will then be handed back to Mr McGregor. 

‘I can’t see see any legal reason why Mr Lawrence can’t recover his legal costs from Ms Hand, unless there was some agreement in court’, Mr English told the Irish Independent.

Conor McGregor‘s fiancee, and the mother of his four chldren, has stood by him leapt to his defence with a furious rant on social media against Nikita.

Dee Devlin took to Instagram to deliver a blistering attack on Ms Hand – telling her ‘My sons will be warned women like you exist in the world’. 

In the messages Ms Devlin painted Ms Hand as a party girl who had sent ‘provocative pictures of herself’ to McGregor.  

She said: ‘Imagine a WOMAN, with her own boyfriend and child, texting provocative pictures of herself to another woman’s man with a family and child on the way. 

‘This woman claims to know me, yet still went ahead and sent messages and pictures of herself over and over to my man? Really? 

‘Whilst out on a 3 day bender, texting excuses to her own child at home where mammy is on Saturday afternoon, Saturday night, Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon, Sunday night into Monday morning. 

‘All the while out of her face in a hotel room dancing around a hotel carpark. What sort of WOMAN are you!!!

‘My sons will be warned women like you exist in the world.’

Ms Devlin, McGregor’s partner of 15 years, arrived hand-in-hand with McGregor to the hearings and comforted him when the verdict was delivered, also claimed that CCTV existed that would cast doubt on Ms Hand’s version of events. 

She wrote: ‘CCTV DOES NOT LIE. I look forward to the day the world will see the footage of you on that night and the carry on of you. Not a bother on you having the time of your life. 

‘This is the real evidence, video footage no one knew was being taken in the moment which you miraculously don’t remember? 

‘To me it looks like you’re the one sexually assaulting in the lift. To me it looks like everyone is trying to get away from you.

‘Conor and I dealt with these issues privately many years ago, as should be done in a relationship and we have come out stronger than ever. We have four beautiful children now whose smiling faces and happy hearts are a testament to who he is and who we are! 

‘They without sin cast the first stone.’

 

McGregor last week vowed to appeal the High Court’s decision but expressed his ‘regret’ over ‘mistakes’ made.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, he said: ‘People want to hear from me, I needed time. I know I made mistakes.

‘Six years ago, I should have never responded to her outreaches. I should have shut the party down. 

‘I should never have stepped out on the woman I love the most in the world. That’s all on me.

‘As much as I regret it, everything that happened that night was consensual and all the witnesses present swore to that under oath. 

‘I have instructed my legal team to appeal the decision.’

He added: ‘I can’t go back and I will move forward. I am beyond grateful to my family, friends and supporters all over the world who have stayed by my side. That’s it. No more. Getting back to the gym- the fight game awaits!’

It comes after the MailOnline exclusively revealed a host of major UK retailers are set to pull McGregor affiliated drinks from sale.