Michael Flatley has won a court ruling that allows him to sue a woman who claimed he had raped her.

The state Supreme Court in Los Angeles ruled Thursday that Flatley's $100 million extortion and defamation lawsuit against Tyna Marie Robertson can proceed to trial.

Flatley, 48, is the former star of the Irish dance spectacle "Riverdance" and created "Lord of the Dance."

The lawsuit was triggered by a January 2003 letter Flatley received from the woman's attorney alleging the dancer had raped her in a Las Vegas hotel in 2002.

Police declined to press criminal charges and Flatley said the sex was consensual.

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Robertson then filed a $33 million civil sexual assault lawsuit in Illinois, but it was later dismissed. Flatley countered with a lawsuit claiming extortion, fraud and defamation.

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