June 9, 2023: Conor McGregor at the Kesaya Center in Miami, Florida.Getty Images
Conor McGregor's attorney has agreed to waive a service of summons on him, according to new documents filed in the US Southern District Court of Florida - Miami Division on Monday, July 14.
Barbara R. Llanes, one of McGregor's attorneys on the sexual battery civil case that was lodged in January, signed the waiver of the service of summons on Monday.
In doing so, she has waived any objections to the absence of a summons or of service.
She has also agreed to file an answer to the claims against McGregor, or enter a motion on his behalf, within 90 days.
The waiver stipulates that if she fails to do so, a default judgment will be entered against her or McGregor.
IrishCentral emailed McGregor's lawyers on Tuesday but received no response.
James Dunn, the lawyer for McGregor's accuser, who has been anonymized as Jane Doe in court documents, told IrishCentral on Tuesday that he was not able to comment at this time.
Conor McGregor accused in Miami civil suit
Dublin native McGregor was named as a defendant in the sexual battery civil case that was lodged in Miami, Florida, on January 14.
The civil case was lodged after prosecutors declined to pursue a criminal case for the alleged June 2023 incident.
It was also lodged less than two months after a Dublin jury sided with accuser Nikita Hand in her civil case against McGregor. McGregor is now appealing that outcome.
According to the Miami civil suit, McGregor was in the Kesaya Center's Courtside Club during the NBA game as he was doing a promotion for TIDL pain relief spray, while Doe, a "business invitee," was a patron of the Courtside Club.
Doe's identity is known to McGregor, the lawsuit says, but Doe wishes to maintain her anonymity in the suit "to avoid embarrassment and shame from the conduct discussed" and to "protect her privacy in her career."
The lawsuit alleges that McGregor "intentionally engaged in unlawful sexual contact including attempting to forcefully place his unprotected penis into the mouth and anus of Jane Doe without her consent or permission."
Extension of deadline
McGregor's summons was issued the day after the civil suit was filed in January. The deadline for it to be served on US soil was April 15, prompting Jane Doe and her lawyer, James Dunn, to file a motion to extend the deadline on April 29.
(As per the Hague Convention, the summons could be served internationally for up to a year, meaning an extension wasn't needed in Ireland.)
The April 29 filing in the Southern District of Florida - Miami Division outlined the failed attempts to serve the summons on McGregor in both the US and Ireland.
At the time, IrishCentral received the following statement from Barbara R. Llanes, Gelber Schachter & Greenberg, P.A., counsel for Conor McGregor:
"These civil claims, which are now on their third lawyer, remain as baseless as ever. Mr. McGregor has not been served, and we have no knowledge of any attempt to serve him in person. My client’s account has been consistent throughout and is supported by an extensive police investigation into the matter. Following that investigation, which included a thorough analysis of the video evidence and interviews with eyewitnesses, authorities determined that there was no case to pursue."