Less than a week after filing a $20 million lawsuit for his nephew’s accusations, Ricky Martin is being hit with additional sexual assault claims.
A police department in San Juan, Puerto Rico, received the new complaint on Friday.
According to the AP, the filing was made by Martin’s nephew, Dennis Yadiel Sánchez.
“These claims are wildly offensive and completely untethered from reality,” Martin’s attorney José Andréu-Fuentes told Deadline. “When this man previously made similar allegations, his legal case had to be withdrawn — not least because he himself admitted under oath that Ricky Martin had never assaulted him in any way.”
On September 7, court documents showed that Martin filed a lawsuit against his nephew, claiming that his allegations of incest and sexual abuse were an attempt to “assassinate” the singer’s name.
According to the lawsuit, Martin lost out on at least $10 million in canceled projects and contracts due to Sánchez’s claims, in addition to $20 million in reputational harm.
Martin’s 21-year-old nephew received a restraining order against the “Livin’ La Vida Loca” singer in July after claiming he was the victim of domestic abuse and unlawful incest.
According to reports, Martin claims that a “maladjusted individual” who also posted the singer’s phone number on Instagram and made fake profiles for one of Martin’s children was responsible for the messages.
Since then, Martin has been vocal about how “painful” the claims were, saying that it was “devasting” for him and his family.
“It has been so painful. It has been devastating for me, for my family, for my friends, and I wouldn’t wish this upon anybody,” Martin said last month. “To the person that was claiming this nonsense, I wish him the best, and I wish he finds the help so he can start a new life filled with love and truth and joy, and he doesn’t hurt anybody else.”
In July, Martin’s former manager, Rebecca Drucker, filed a $3 million lawsuit against him, claiming she was owed unpaid commissions.
In addition, Martin “emerged unscathed and proceeded with his professional resurgence” despite a “potentially career-ending allegation” in September 2020.
