Nikita Hand WINS costs against shamed Conor McGregor after civil jury found he raped her in Dublin hotel in 2018

NIKITA Hand has won her legal costs against Conor McGregor – as a judge refused to grant co-defendant James Lawrence his legal costs against her.

Disgraced MMA star Conor McGregor, 36, was last month ordered to pay victim Ms Hand, 35, almost €250,000 in damages after a High Court jury ruled she was “brutally” raped and “battered” by the thug in a Dublin hotel penthouse six years ago.

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The 35-year-old mother-of-one lost her civil case against McGregor’s friend and co-defendant James Lawrence, with the court hearing the UFC ace had picked up Lawrence’s legal tab.

Lawrence’s lawyers maintained their client should be awarded his costs against Ms Hand.

A showdown over legal costs in the case, estimated at €1.5million with each of the parties represented by senior and junior counsel, took place at the High Court today.

Typically, the losing side pays their own legal costs and those of the other party.

But Ms Hand’s lawyers called for McGregor to pay the entire costs of the civil action – and argued her lawsuit against Lawrence was run as a joint defence.

Mr Justice Alex Owens, who presided over the trial, this afternoon decided the costs issue after hearing arguments from all sides.

The judge ordered McGregor to pay Ms Hand’s legal costs.

Mr Justice Owens made the award against the mixed martial art’s brawler at the ordinary level, not the highest level sought by Ms Hand’s lawyers.

And in a landmark ruling, the judge refused to grant Lawrence his legal costs against Ms Hand.

Mr Justice Owens ruled Ms Hand will not have to pay Lawrence’s legal costs because both defendants were “in lock step”.

The judge said: “The defendants filed a single defence represented by one legal firm.

“Mr Lawrence has a modest means and Mr McGregor was footing his legal bill.

‘ONE NARRATIVE’

“Mr Lawrence and Mr McGregor went with the one narrative.”

The judge added: “It is completely inappropriate to award Mr Lawrence any part of his costs even though he succeeded in his defence against Ms Hand.”

During the trial, multi-millionaire McGregor told the court he was paying Lawrence’s legal fees.

Mr Justice Owens put a stay on all the orders until January 16.

This comes as the UFC brute is already reeling from a commercial “tsunami” as companies and retailers rush to dump McGregor’s booze brands amid outrage at his sexual assault shame.

ONLINE OUTBURSTS

After brave rape survivor Ms Hand won her civil action, the fighter proceeded to unleash a series of wild outbursts online.

Among his furious tirades, McGregor lashed out at the High Court where the case was heard, claiming it was “not a court of hard evidence and truth” but a “kangaroo court of opinions and feelings”.

The online posts were later removed after they were widely shared online.

“It is completely inappropriate to award Mr Lawrence any part of his costs even though he succeeded in his defence against Ms Hand.”

Justice Alex Owens

During the civil trial it was revealed that McGregor had paid Lawrence’s legal costs for him among the infamous sportsman’s “staggering legal bills” for the case.

Amid the fallout of the civil case, McGregor is also facing a growing commercial backlash after he was found liable of sexually assaulting Ms Hand at a Dublin hotel in December 2018.

The ex-double UFC champ, who took the stand to claim he had consensual sex with Ms Hand, denied all allegations.

But after six hours and 10 minutes of deliberations, a jury found against McGregor.

DAMAGES

Traumatised mum-of-one Ms Hand was awarded €248,603 in damages after the jury panel of eight women and four men found the mixed martial arts brawler had assaulted her.

The controversy has left McGregor – once among the world’s highest-paid athletes and who previously said he wanted to become a billionaire – struggling to salvage his fortune.

McGregor’s UFC comeback – he has not fought in the organisation since July 2021 – is up in the air after the civil rape case verdict.

The beast has also been hit by a commercial hammering as thousands of stores including Tesco, SuperValu, Centra and Costcutter stop stocking his alcohol brands.

Among the McGregor-linked products getting the chop is Forged Irish Stout, a beer brand owned by the former UFC champion.

Proper No 12 Whiskey and Proper No 12 Apple Whiskey is also being pulled from shops, with the whiskey brand originally co-founded by McGregor.

The company that bought Proper No 12 has vowed to stop using his “name and likeness” in marketing, as a wave of bars join the Brand McGregor boycott.