2024 was a tumultuous year for Conor McGregor. After failing to make his comeback at UFC 303, the Irishman found himself in the middle of a lawsuit. Plaintiff Nikita Hand came forward with a civil lawsuit alleging assault. Although the verdict came against the former UFC champion, the developments around the case are still going on.

According to a report from the Irish Independent, Samantha O’Reilly and Steven Cummins, who are accused of committing perjury (lying under oath) to help Conor McGregor in his legal battle against Nikita Hand, are on the verge of facing severe criminal charges. Before adding more pointers on the latest development, let’s look into how everything unfolded surrounding McGregor’s civil case.

Nikita Hand came into the public’s eye after accusing ‘The Notorious’ of sexual assault stemming from an incident in late 2018. The Beacon Hotel in Dublin was where Hand alleged that the incident took place. Now, when the case proceedings began in November 2024, the couple O’Reilly and Cummins claimed in sworn statements that on December 9, 2018, they witnessed Nikita Hand in a “heated row” and being assaulted by her partner.

This claim was quite contradictory to the plaintiff’s accusation. But the couple’s intention with the testimony was to suggest that Hand’s injuries came from her partner, not McGregor. However, as per the Gardai (Irish police) investigation, they are convinced that the couple had committed perjury during the trials.

To back that, the Irish police provided two concrete pieces of evidence. One, the landlord of the property where the couple claimed to be living testified that they hadn’t moved in yet on the date in question. O’Reilly and Cummins allegedly moved in a week later. Secondly, the Gardai also found records showing the couple was actually staying in separate homeless accommodation on the nights they claimed to be watching Ms. Hand from their window.

Furthermore, through deep research on the social media handles, the Irish police found that Ms. O’Reilly, in particular, was also a “Conor McGregor fan.” Well, these three findings were reportedly enough for the Gardai detectives to initiate a strict action against the couple.

Last September, O’Reilly and Cummins were released a day after their arrest over alleged perjury. However, the probe continued, and following the latest findings, the Irish police will recommend that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) charge the couple. On that note, is there a chance of McGregor’s involvement in this matter?

Gardai find no evidence against Conor McGregor over involvement in alleged perjury

Despite pleading innocent to the accusations laid by Nikita Hand, Conor McGregor faced consequences. On 22 November 2024, a jury of eight women and four men found McGregor liable for the sexual assault. They ordered McGregor to pay around $285,000 in damages.

Not only that, but the High Court in Dublin also ordered McGregor to pay Hand’s legal costs, which was approximately $1.7 million. From suffering reputation damage to paying as per the judicial verdict, ‘The Notorious’ had a tough time. But when it comes to being involved in the perjury case of Samantha O’Reilly and Steven Cummins, McGregor has a clean chit.

The Irish police reportedly did not find any evidence regarding the couple’s potential contact with McGregor. So, on that front, the former UFC champion hasn’t received any rulings yet.

The Irishman even appealed against the court’s verdict in July 2025. However, Ireland’s Court of Appeal upheld the original decision by dismissing McGregor’s appeal. Nikita Hand isn’t resting either.

Although she won the civil case, Hand’s legal team has initiated new proceedings against McGregor for malicious abuse of court processes. Through this, they alleged that the Irishman attempted to introduce false evidence during the appeal. We’ll have to wait and see how the case develops in the coming days.