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| Michael Flatley |
He helped catapult Irish step dancing into the global spotlight, but this week,
Michael Flatley, who recently made an appearance on
Dancing with the Stars, may be doing another jig. The Lord of the Dance was awarded an $11 million settlement against real estate agent
Tyna Robertson who had brought false rape allegations against the dancer.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, the one time boxer fascinated audiences with his self-produced and choreographed Irish step show
Lord of the Dance in the late nineties and made the form of dance a world wide phenomenon.
In 2002, Robertson filed a $33 million suit against the dancer saying that he had raped her at The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. The couple had been engaged in a brief affair, and Flatley vehemently denied the accusations. While a police report was made of the alleged incident, no charges were ever filed.
In his statement to the court, Robertson’s attorney,
D. Dean Mauro, acknowledged that he “demanded the dancer pay millions of dollars if he did not want to be sued by Robertson.”
Her suit was eventually dismissed, and Flatley countersued for extortion and defamation.
Mauro told the
Chicago Sun Times, "I apologize to Mr. Flatley for any harm, distress or damages he has suffered as a result of this matter and regret that my actions contributed to that harm.”
In his statement to the court Flatley said "I believe the damage to my reputation from these false and defamatory accusations is very substantial. This, in turn, adversely affects the business of presenting Irish dance troupes throughout the world."
Flately, who is estimated to be worth over $350 million has told the media that any and all awards he receives from the lawsuit will be donated to charity.
