Flatley to sue rape claim woman

LORD of The Dance star Michael Flatley has decided to use some fancy legal steps in a $100 million counter-claim against Tyna Marie Robertson, the American woman who claims she was raped by him.

The dancing shoe is now on the other foot as the North Cork resident has decided to defend his honour in the Los Angeles Superior Court and, while he's at it, sue for extortion, defamation, fraud and emotional distress.

Flatley's legal team will attempt to make Robertson pay for her "vicious and criminal scheme" to ruin the multi-millionaire dancer who made his name with the original Riverdance show.

Fermoy Town Council is expected to press ahead with setting a date for a civic reception for the embattled star.

Councillors John Hussey, Tadhg O'Donovan and John Murphy said that Flatley had done untold service to the town and was innocent until proven guilty.

Councillor Murphy said Flatley had undertaken a lot of charitable work and took time out last Christmas Day to visit elderly patients in the local hospital.

"He's in a highly vulnerable position as a famous and wealthy man," Councillor Murphy said.

D Dean Mauro, described as the woman's contingency fee lawyer, is also named in the counter suit.

"...Robertson has been a habitue of gambling casinos in Las Vegas and elsewhere, had declared bankruptcy to avoid paying her gambling and other debts and had been sued for charging over $460,000 of personal items to a company credit card and also for passing dishonoured cheques."

Flatley, the papers stress, was unaware of her troubled background when he spent the night in bed with her at the Venetian Hotel, Las Vegas on October 19-20, 2002.

The amorous encounter took place in a two-bedroom suite. The other bedroom was that of Flatley's private secretary.

"Plaintiff's private secretary, whose bedroom door was open the entire night, heard no cry or complaint of any kind from plaintiff's bedroom, and no such cry or complaint was made," the legal papers state.

His lawyer said yesterday the high-profile dancer would take a lie-detector test to disprove claims he raped a woman in Las Vegas.

Bert Fields said: "There would be no problem with that. He's telling the truth. It's demonstrably so."

Mr Fields said the case will probably end up in court. "There will be what we call discovery. We will take her testimony under oath in a deposition and they'll probably take Michael's deposition and in a few months we'll go to trial.

"There will be a jury and I am 100% sure there is no way the jury is going to buy this crazy story," he said.

Robertson has lodged a €32m lawsuit in the US after claiming Flatley raped her after a dinner date.

But Mr Fields said: "We'll prove in court that nothing like this happened."