Sports star facing civil action after district attorney’s office rejected criminal case against him in 2016 due to insufficient evidence

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Jarryd Hayne has been accused of raping a woman during his time playing for the San Francisco 49ers, according to civil court documents filed in California.

The civil suit, lodged in the Santa Clara County court on Tuesday, alleges the rugby league star engaged in non-consensual sexual intercourse with a woman in December 2015.

According to the documents, the suit is an action for sexual battery, gender violence, infliction of emotional distress and negligence.

The woman, whose identity is protected, claims Hayne took her back to his San Jose home and raped her while she was drunk.

The player’s Sydney lawyer, Ramy Qutami, said in a statement on Wednesday that he “unequivocally and vehemently” denies the allegations.

The woman reported the incident to the San Jose police department in May 2016 and an investigation was conducted.

The Santa Clara County district attorney’s office reviewed the case but it was rejected as there was not enough evidence to prove the allegations beyond reasonable doubt.

Since the matter was dismissed as a criminal case, it is now being pursued through the civil courts.

Hayne, now 29, joined the 49ers after leaving the Parramatta Eels in 2014 to pursue his dream of playing in the NFL.

His stint in the US did not go according to plan though, and after a season spent struggling to make his mark on the league, he quit and tried his luck with the Fiji rugby sevens team.

Hayne failed to make the cut for the Pacific island nation’s Olympic team and he returned to the NRL with the Gold Coast Titans in 2016.

Earlier this month, after two turbulent seasons on the Gold Coast, he revealed he was leaving the club to return to Parramatta.