Cape Town - A rape lawsuit against Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo that made headlines when it was filed last year in Las Vegas has been dropped.
The allegations sent the club's shares plummeting by 15%.
According to reports, a notice of voluntary dismissal was filed last month in Nevada state court in Las Vegas. The filing failed to disclose whether an out-of-court settlement had been reached between the two parties.
Juventus announced plans to play the pre-season International Champions Cup in Asia and not in the United States amid the Portugal star's rape investigation.
Most of the matches take place in the United States but organisers are planning to play Juventus' elsewhere amid Ronaldo's legal case, eliminating the risk of the Portuguese star being detained by authorities in the US as part of their investigations.
Ronaldo insisted he is an "example" in his behaviour on and off the field amid the allegations.
"I know I am an example, 100%, in the pitch and outside the pitch," Ronaldo told a press conference as he strenuously denied the allegations in a statement.
A former American model Kathryn Mayorga, 34, accused Ronaldo of raping her on June 13, 2009, just before he joined Real Madrid from Manchester United.
"I am always smiling, I am happy man, I'm blessed that I play in a fantastic club, I have a fantastic family, I have four kids, I am healthy," added Ronaldo.
"I have everything. So the rest, it doesn't interfere on me. I'm very, very well."
In his first press conference since the allegations arose, Ronaldo seemed keen to stress his happiness in his new surroundings in Italy after joining Juve from Madrid in July.
Off the field, the allegations saw Juventus' share price fall sharply and Ronaldo's personal sponsors Nike and EA Sports express their concern.
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