Jarryd Hayne’s US lawyer says a civil action accusing him of raping a 25-year-old woman in 2015 “lacks merit”, and says the rugby league star will fight the claim in court.
Hayne fronted the media on Wednesday for the first time since rape allegations against him surfaced. In a press conference after his first day of training since rejoining the Parramatta Eels football club at the end of last year, he mostly dodged questions about the allegations, saying it was “just one of them things you’ve got to go through”.
But through his law firm, Hayne issued a statement in which he said he “unequivocally and vehemently” denied the claim, and would defend the issue in court.
“The last week or so have been personally distressing for not only me but my family and friends, as civil proceedings making serious allegations have been publicly aired and certain media have followed me on a personal preplanned trip to the other side of the world,” Hayne said in the statement.
“I was not given any notice of these proceedings prior to any media reports.
“I confirm that I unequivocally and vehemently deny the allegations made against me and I will be vigorously defending the matter. As everyone should understand, I cannot publicly discuss anything relating to this matter as it is now the subject of legal proceedings in the US.”
Hayne’s lawyers said in the statement that the football star had yet to be served with “any formal documentation” relating to the claim. They denied reports he had evaded attempts to serve him.
“Mr Hayne is innocent and will ask a United States jury to find him innocent,” his US lawyer Mark Baute said.
“There is no objective evidence of any sexual assault in this matter and the lawsuit lacks merit. We do not intend to try this case in the media and will refrain from further public comment, other than to say that Mr Hayne and I look forward to the day when a jury can decide he is innocent.”
Hayne spoke to local investigators after the woman went to the police in May 2016, but the case was rejected by the Santa Clara County district attorney’s office in October of that year due to a lack of evidence.
The woman is now pursuing the former Australian and New South Wales State of Origin star on claims of sexual battery, gender violence, infliction of emotional distress and negligence.
It’s still unclear whether he will need to return to the US to be part of the case.
Hayne was signed in August 2016 by the then-NRL-owned Titans, who have said they were unaware of the investigation at the time.
On Wednesday Hayne said he had still not discussed the issue with Parramatta’s bosses.
At the press conference, in which he complained about not being asked “football questions”, Hayne said: “You’ve got to fight though adversity. As players we go through all sorts of things [and] this is the situation.”
In the statement, Hayne requested privacy for him and his family.
“I’d like to thank all the family friends and fans who have both privately and publicly sent messages of support. My request to the media is to provide my family and I respect and privacy at this time,” he said.
“I cannot and will not make any further comment regarding this matter until the legal proceedings are concluded.
“I urge you to please respect this request for not only me but my family and teammates. I have the utmost faith in the United States justice system and have left this matter with my legal team.”
