Conor McGregor has filed an appeal with the Supreme Court against a civil jury finding that he assaulted Nikita Hand in a Dublin hotel room in 2018.
The mixed martial arts fighter previously appealed the November 2024 verdict to the High Court but lost in July.
On Thursday, legal firm Mulholland Law confirmed it had been instructed by McGregor and James Lawrence to appeal to the Supreme Court.
James Lawrence was found by the jury not guilty of assaulting Ms Hand (Ní Laímhin) during the same incident.
However, the trial judge ruled that Ms Hand would not have to pay Mr Lawrence’s costs.
His legal team has challenged whether that decision was correct, arguing she should cover costs as the jury cleared him.
In a statement, Mulholland Law said: “Mr McGregor and Mr Lawrence are deeply disappointed by the decisions reached in the lower courts. Mr Lawrence’s grievance has now resulted in separate High Court proceedings being issued against the Plaintiff, Ms Ní Laímhin, for perjury. Whilst proceedings remain in their infancy, we are confident that our client will be properly vindicated and the record set straight in due course.”
Solicitor Ciarán Mulholland said: “We believe that the applications of Mr McGregor and Mr Lawrence raise serious legal issues arising from the Court of Appeal’s judgment of 31st July 2025. We now seek that the Supreme Court acknowledge the exceptional public interest in adjudicating on these applications favourably.”
He said McGregor’s application focuses “on his Constitutional right to silence, properly exercised on occasions and enshrined both in Bunreacht na hÉireann and the European Convention on Human Rights”.
“However, lip service was applied in a highly prejudicial and unfair manner before the lower Courts against my client and it is only right and just that this is considered and clarified by our Supreme Court.”
He added that the Supreme Court must also clarify the legal issues raised in James Lawrence’s application, describing him as “a gentleman that was wrongfully and unnecessarily dragged through High Court litigation without cause then following successfully defending the action against him is not awarded costs”.
“This is an unprecedented and frightening ruling. It was legally shortsighted by the Court of Appeal demonstrating their bias of my clients. An award of costs must always follow the event irrespective of the client or judicial suspicions.”
Ms Hand was awarded €248,603.60 in damages, and McGregor was also ordered to pay about €1.3m in legal costs following the November trial.
McGregor appealed on five grounds.
One ground relied on new evidence from Ms Hand’s former neighbour, Samantha O’Reilly, who claimed to have witnessed a physical row between Ms Hand and her then-partner around the same time as the incident at the Beacon Hotel.
In July, McGregor’s legal team withdrew this claim, saying it would no longer rely on the material.
McGregor’s appeal proceeded on other grounds, mainly concerning the admission of his “no comment” answers to gardaí during the trial.