Roethlisberger Civil Sexual Assault Trial to Stay in Reno

The civil sexual assault case against quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will be held in Reno, the Nevada Supreme Court said Thursday in an order rejecting an appeal by the NFL star.

A former VIP casino hostess at Harrah’s accused Roethlisberger of raping her in his penthouse suite in July 2008, when Roethlisberger was at Lake Tahoe for a celebrity golf tournament. The lawsuit also named Harrah’s employees and executives, whom she accuses of orchestrating a cover-up of the incident.

Roethlisberger has denied the allegations. The woman never filed a formal criminal complaint with police.

Lawyers for the two-time Super Bowl champion had wanted to move the case to Minden in Douglas County, where Harrah’s is located. They argued that Washoe County was an improper venue because, while one other defendant owned a home there, no defendants lived there.

But the high court rejected that argument, noting that Roethlisberger lacked standing to seek a venue change.

“We’re delighted with the court’s ruling and look forward to proceeding with the case in 2nd Judicial District Court,” the woman’s lawyer, Cal Dunlap, told The Associated Press when contacted by telephone.

David Cornwell, one of Roethlisberger’s attorneys, said the Supreme Court ruling “does not affect the likely outcome of this case.”

In an emailed statement, Cornwell said after considering the woman’s own words, “the jury will conclude that Ben has been falsely accused.”