Lord of the Court

"Lord of the Dance" star Michael Flatley has been awarded an $11 million settlement against Tyna Robertson, the Joliet woman who accused Flatley of rape in 2002, according to published reports.

The settlement was reached Friday after the California Supreme Court ruled that accusations of rape made by Robertson, who has a son with Chicago Bear Brian Urlacher, were not credible, and part of an extortion scheme, the BBC and London's Daily Mail reported Saturday.

Robertson filed a civil lawsuit against Flatley in 2003, alleging that the Irish-American dance star had raped her in a Las Vegas hotel the year before. Flatley said the sex was consensual.

After Robertson's lawsuit was tossed out, Flatley countered with a $100 million countersuit against Robertson and her attorney, D. Dean Mauro of Waukegan, for civil extortion and defamation. In it, Flatley accused Mauro of threatening to ruin him by making the rape allegations public, unless Flatley paid Robertson $1 million.

Robertson, who could not be reached for comment Saturday, has denied involvement in any such scheme. Mauro also was unavailable for comment Saturday.

But in 2004, Mauro's attorney told the Sun-Times Mauro was trying to settle the rape case without going to trial, not blackmail Flatley.

Flatley, meanwhile, is quoted by the BBC as "very pleased" by the settlement. "The court sent a message that it will not tolerate these types of schemes," Flatley said.

An ex-stripper turned real estate agent, Robertson has a history of legal battles with famous men. Most recently, she tangled with Urlacher in a messy custody battle over their son, Kennedy.

Chicago Sun-Times, December 9, 2007.