NRL player Jarryd Hayne has been accused of rape in a civil suit filed by a Californian woman, according to documents tendered by her lawyers.
In the document Hayne is accused of raping the unknown woman — referred to by her initials “J.V.” — during his time as a professional gridiron player with the NFL San Francisco 49ers in December 2015.
According to the document J.V. reported the matter to the San Jose Police Department in May 2016.
The police investigated the matter, conducted witness interviews and the case was dropped, with the District Attorney telling J.V. that there “was not enough evidence to prove the crime of rape beyond a reasonable doubt”.
The document alleges Hayne was invited by a friend of J.V. to join them at a San Jose bar after a 49ers game on December 21, 2015.
J.V. became heavily intoxicated, the document alleges, and Hayne took her back to his Californian home in an Uber.
“During the ride home, [J.V.] passed out in the car due to her extreme level of intoxication,” the document said.
The document goes on to describe the alleged sexual assault.
The lawsuit was filed at The Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, San Jose on Tuesday.
Hayne is being sued for sexual battery, battery, gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence.
Hayne left the Parramatta Eels after a stellar NRL career to chase his dream of playing professional football in America’s highly competitive National Football League.
He won a contract with the San Francisco 49ers but was released after one season, which ended in mid-2016.
After a failed attempt to join the Fiji Rugby Sevens team at the Rio Olympics he returned to the NRL with the Gold Coast Titans.
Hayne left the Titans at the end of the 2017 season to re-join the Parramatta Eels.
Eels chair Max Donnelly said the club was unaware of the allegations until today.
“As with any legal matter, it is important that we follow due process and ensure that we review all relevant information available, including giving Jarryd the opportunity to respond,” he said.
The club said it would continue to “monitor the situation”.
The ABC attempted to contact Hayne’s manager for comment.
A spokesman for the NRL said the Integrity Unit would continue to monitor the civil case involving Hayne.
“We note that the police in the United States did not proceed with any criminal proceedings but we will review the information available and continue to monitor the civil case,” a spokesman said.
Courtesy: Australian Broadcasting Corporation