NRL star Jarryd Hayne is set to face a dramatic five-day rape trial in front of a California jury in January 2020, a San Jose court heard today.

The lawyer for Hayne’s accuser, known only as JV, said the young woman was still receiving therapeutic help after the alleged attack on December 21, 2015.

Ms V’s lawyer Micha Star Liberty said outside court it was “day-by-day” for her client as she “processes her experiences” in the face of “overwhelming” attention on the case.

Ms V alleges Hayne raped her after an alcohol-fuelled night out, at the San Jose apartment where he was living while playing for the San Francisco 49ers.

The rugby league player “unequivocally” and “vehemently” denies the allegation.

Hayne’s lawyer Mark Baute said he “liked Jarryd Hayne very much” and “looked forward to proving his innocence in court.”

Judge Lucy Koh set the trial date at San Jose District Court today for January 27, 2020, but lawyers for each side still have the chance to reach an agreement through mediation.

“We’re always open to further negotiation and any sort of resolution, but it has to make sense to our client,” said Ms Liberty.

Ms V is seeking monetary damages of a sum that has not been finalised yet.

Ms V said she was a virgin when she met the Australian at a San Jose dive bar where he was drinking with some of his teammates. She claims she was blackout drunk when she went home in an Uber with Hayne to his apartment, where she says the alleged incident took place.

The woman, then in her mid-20s, alleges Hayne flipped her over and said “no kissing”, and she felt a sharp pain in her vagina. When she woke there the next morning, she claims the bedsheets were soaked in her blood.

Hayne, 30, rejected the woman’s claims and said she “willingly engaged in sexual interaction that did not include sexual intercourse.”

His lawyers said she ordered their Uber back to his home and spoke to his roommate the next day.

Ms V said she did not immediately report the alleged crime because she was afraid she would not be believed, but saw a doctor in April 2016 when she continued to suffer pain.

San Jose Police Department investigated but did not press charges because of an apparent lack of evidence. She then filed a civil suit last December.

Evidence seized by police during the 2016 investigation will be tested further, at the request of lawyers from both sides.

The case management hearing at 2pm Wednesday local time (7am Thursday AEST) came days after it emerged that mediation talks had failed.

Ms Koh laid out the deadlines and rules for the trial of the Parramatta Eels player, including the date, saying she thought jury selection would take at least a day because of the nature of the allegation.

Hayne and three friends — Bryce Poisel and Tim Dengate and former New Zealand rugby league player Krisnan Inu — have been named among the “foreign nationals” who would give evidence in court, possibly from Australia.

Mr Baute, who successfully defended NBA star Derrick Rose in a rape trial, said it could take up to six months to get access to several witnesses in Australia.

Ms Liberty, who works with many victims of sexual assault, said the #MeToo movement had provided “comfort” to victims in letting them know “they’re not alone” and that “this is happening across the board.”

She said it was a “long, arduous process for any victim, not just my client but any victim, to grapple with what it means to take legal steps.”

Ms V is also represented by top lawyer John Clune, from Boulder, Colorado. “Normally we’d like things to move a little faster but the international depositions add extra time,” Mr Clune, who was not in court, told news.com.au.

“We’ll keep an open mind about mediation but for now we need to focus on getting things moving.”

In 2003, Mr Clune represented a woman who accused Los Angeles Lakes star Kobe Bryant of rape. The criminal case was dropped and the parties settled out of court.