Ricky Martin sues nephew, alleges million-dollar losses

Sánchez's allegations cost the singer at least $10 million in lost income, as well as $20 million in damages to his reputation

By AP

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Photo: AP
Photo: AP

Published: Thu 8 Sep 2022, 8:05 AM

Last updated: Thu 8 Sep 2022, 8:11 AM

On Wednesday, Puerto Rican superstar Ricky Martin filed a lawsuit against his nephew accusing him of extortion, malicious persecution, abuse of law and damages, stemming from false sexual abuse allegations.

Martin's lawyers said the claim by the nephew — which he has since recanted — has cost the singer millions of dollars in lost income.


The lawsuit filed in the US territory’s Court of First Instance alleges that Martin has been “persecuted, besieged, harassed, stalked and extorted” by his “troubled” nephew for economic reasons. It further alleges that if the nephew did not obtain any financial benefit, he would continue to “assassinate the reputation and integrity of the artist".

The lawsuit contends that the harassment has continued, even though Martin’s nephew, identified as Dennis Yadiel Sánchez Martin, admitted under oath in July that he had never been sexually assaulted by the artist.


Sánchez had previously taken legal action against his uncle based on those false allegations, which prompted a judge in Puerto Rico to issue a restraining order against Martin in July, that a court later suspended.

Those allegations cost Martin at least $10 million in lost income (as a result of cancelled contracts and projects), as well as $20 million in damages to his reputation, according to the lawsuit.

The attorney who represented Sánchez in that case could not be immediately reached for comment. It wasn’t clear if she also would be representing Sánchez in the lawsuit that was filed on Wednesday.

The lawsuit stated that from October 2021 to January 2022, Sánchez would send up to 10 messages a day to Martin, the majority of which were “meaningless diatribes without any particular purpose”.

It also accused Sánchez of publishing Martin’s private number on Instagram, which forced the singer to change his number.

Several months then went by without Sánchez sending a message, until he requested the protection order in July against Martin, according to the lawsuit.

It also said Sánchez falsely alleged that he had had a romantic relationship with Martin for seven months, and that Martin supposedly did not want the relationship to end, which led to the singer allegedly calling Sánchez repeatedly.

“Nothing further from the truth,” according to the lawsuit.

It also said two restraining orders had previously been filed against Sánchez in an unrelated stalking case.

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