Auradou-Jegou case nears end after Mendoza ruling

The legal case involving France rugby players Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jégou has moved closer to closure after Argentina’s Mendoza Supreme Court upheld the dismissal that had protected both men from trial. A further appeal to Argentina’s federal judiciary remains possible, so the proceedings are not formally over.

The ruling concerns events reported in July 2024 during the France team’s tour of Argentina. Three judges rejected the complainant’s cassation appeal, finding that the available evidence did not reach the level required to send the players before a court. Their decision followed several months under the existing dismissal order.

In examining the evidence, the judges considered messages exchanged on WhatsApp between the complainant and a friend after she left the hotel, treating them as part of the wider assessment rather than conclusive proof. A psychological evaluation was also cited, with the court identifying contradictions, inconsistencies, exaggerations and elements it considered fabricated in her account. The judges said some injuries could not be linked definitively to the alleged events, while her von Willebrand disease can contribute to bruising.

The court also found no independent evidence from the hotel that supported the central parts of the account. The players’ Argentine lawyer described the accusation as seriously false, while the complainant may still pursue a final legal route through the federal courts.