A Nevada judge has denied a motion to dismiss rape charges against Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger for a July 2008 incident.

Roethlisberger, who was in Lake Tahoe, Nev., for a celebrity golf tournament, is being sued for a minimum of $440,000 in damages by a former VIP host at Harrah's Lake Tahoe, who alleges that the quarterback lured her to his room at the hotel-casino on false pretenses and then sexually assaulted her.

Washoe District Court Judge Brent Adams also refused a request by a lawyer for Roethlisberger to sanction the woman's attorney for pursuing the case without sufficient evidence.

Roethlisberger has denied the allegations, saying the woman acted willingly while in his room. His legal team has said that the fact that the woman never filed a police complaint is evidence that she concocted the story in an attempt to get a big payout from the two-time Super Bowl winner. She has said that she didn't file a criminal complaint because she feared that Harrah's would side with Roethlisberger and fire her.