In order to respond to allegations of incest presented by his 21-year-old nephew, singer Ricky Martin will show up in court tomorrow.
According to TMZ, Martin, 50, will appear via Zoom before a judge in Puerto Rico to refute claims that he had a seven-month sex relationship with his nephew.
‘Unfortunately, the person who made this claim is struggling with deep mental health challenges,’ Martin’s attorney, Marty Singer, previously told DailyMail.com. ‘Ricky Martin has, of course, never been — and would never be — involved in any kind of sexual or romantic relationship with his nephew.’
‘The idea is not only untrue, it is disgusting,’ he added. ‘We all hope that this man gets the help he so urgently needs.
‘But, most of all, we look forward to this awful case being dismissed as soon as a judge gets to look at the facts.’
Dennis Yadiel Sanchez, the accuser’s nephew, is the son of the pop singer’s half-sister, Vanessa Martin.
In order to prevent contact with Martin, Sanchez allegedly filed a temporary restraining order against him earlier this month.
The ruling, which a Puerto Rican newspaper, El Vocero, read, states that Martin and Sanchez ended their relationship two months ago after dating for seven months.
Martin was unable to attend the hearing, but the judge will determine whether the injunction has to be extended on Thursday.
El Vocero, a Puerto Rican publication, analysed the order and found that Sanchez claimed Martin refused to accept the separation and had been spotted lingering near his home at least three times.
Additionally, he claimed Martin had been “consuming a large amount of alcohol and drugs.”
The singer’s attorneys have refuted the claims and are putting together a case for Sanchez, who was reportedly recently accused of harassing a woman and “threatened to destroy her life.”
Martin’s legal team flatly denied the “disgusting” charges and claimed the accuser is “struggling with deep mental health challenges,” according to DailyMail.com.
In a Facebook Live broadcast, the singer’s brother, Eric Martin, asserted that his nephew “has a mental problem.”
The older brother of the Latin artist claimed that the 21-year-old, who is currently cut off from the family, had harmed other family.
Although he indicated that he and his family still loved their difficult nephew, he continued, saying that the family had been struggling to deal with Sanchez’s deteriorating mental health concerns. He added that he was “tired of being quiet” about it.
Eric’s testimony comes after new claims that Sanchez has a criminal record and once threatened to kill a female co-worker.
Fox3Now reports that Sanchez’s colleague Claudia Ramrez Martell even took out a restraining order against him after he became ‘obsessed’ with her, repeatedly turning up outside their workplace saying he planned to murder her.
If the alleged romance between Martin and Sanchez is confirmed, the singer could face up to 50 years in prison for incest charges under Puerto Rico law.
Martin addressed the accusations on Twitter on July 3, saying: ‘The protection order entered against me is based on completely false allegations, so I will respond through the judicial process with the facts and the dignity that characterize me.
‘Because it is an ongoing legal matter, I cannot make detailed statements at this time. I am grateful for the countless messages of solidarity, and I receive them with all my heart.’
He has not made any additional statements regarding the accusations.
Days after Rebecca Drucker, his former business manager, said she was suing him for failing to pay her $3 million for the services she rendered, Martin was served with the restraining order.
According to Drucker, she initially worked with the artist from 2014 until 2018, according to TMZ.
According to court documents in the complaint filed in Los Angeles Central District Court, Drucker’s legal team claims Martin “completely and maliciously refused to pay Rebecca the millions of dollars in commissions that he owes her.” Billboard reported this quoting the documents.
The San Juan, Puerto Rico native subsequently got in touch with Drucker in May 2020 at a time when his “personal and professional life [were] in absolute turmoil,” according to Drucker, and she allegedly helped him get his career back on track.
According to Drucker’s testimony in court documents, she gave Martin “invaluable services as his manager and top advisor” to help him with transactions involving recording contracts, tours, and sponsorships, helping him to earn millions during a North American tour he took last year with Enrique Iglesias. According to Billboard’s report using their 2021 Year-End Boxscore chart, the tour brought in $19 million.
Drucker further claimed that in September 2020, amid alleged threats of “an unspecified career-ending allegation,” she connected the artist with a strong legal team, assisting him in navigating through a potential career crisis.
The ‘Shake Your Bon-Bon’ singer ’emerged unscathed and proceeded with his professional resurgence’ with Drucker’s support, she told the court.
She resigned from working with Martin this past April, according to Drucker, who also testified before the court that Martin was dishonest and deceptive in their interactions.
She said that Martin had requested her to sign a nondisclosure agreement and threatened her if she spoke about their joint venture.
In her lawsuit against the musician, Drucker is seeking $3 million in punitive damages and a jury trial.
The Puerto Rican singer has been married to Syrian-born Swedish painter, Jwan Yosef, since 2017.
The couple shares four children: 13-year-old twins, Valentino and Matteo, as well as Lucia, three and Renn, also three.
Since becoming comfortable with his sexuality, he has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ couples to adopt. In an interview with Out, he recalled that he had previously been fearful of not being able to have a family due to his sexuality prior to his coming out.
‘Many years I dreamt of being a father, and many, many, many times I went through this grieving process of I am gay, I am a closeted gay man, and I’m not going to be able to be a daddy,’ he said.
He pointed out that, although he supported the idea of adoption for LGBT+ couples, he was aware of the hardships that many of them faced.
‘Obviously adoption is an option and it’s very beautiful, but unfortunately for gay men it’s very difficult to adopt in some countries,’ he said.