West News Wire: Puerto Rican pop artist Ricky Martin has been accused of sexual assault after he recently sued his nephew for what he claimed were baseless claims of sexual abuse.
According to police spokesman Edward Ramrez, the complaint was lodged on Friday at a police station in San Juan, the country’s capital. Given the nature of the complaint, information such as who submitted the complaint and the specifics of the claims are not made public.
It was confirmed by a source not allowed to talk on the matter that Martin’s nephew Dennis Yadiel Sánchez Martin was the one who brought the lawsuit. The individual added that because the claimed event did not occur recently, the complaint does not automatically result in an arrest. Instead, police will conduct an investigation to see if charges should be filed.
Sánchez previously requested a restraining order against Martin in July, but a judge later archived the case after Sánchez admitted under oath that he had never been sexually assaulted by the singer.
Flavia Fernández, a spokeswoman for Martin, told news reporters that his legal team is evaluating the situation and not issuing public comment for now.
On Thursday, the artist’s attorneys filed a lawsuit against his nephew, whom they described as “troubled.” They accused him of extortion, malicious persecution, abuse of law and damages.
They said Sánchez’s allegations cost Martin at least $10 million worth of canceled contracts and projects, plus another $20 million in damages to his reputation.
The lawsuit states that Sánchez would send up to 10 messages a day to Martin, the majority “meaningless diatribes without any particular purpose.” It also accuses him of publishing Martin’s private number, forcing him to change it.
In addition, the lawsuit said Sánchez falsely claimed he had a romantic relationship with Martin for seven months and that the singer didn’t want it to end and would call Sánchez with frequency.
“Nothing further from the truth,” the lawsuit stated.
Attorneys also noted that a judge previously issued Sánchez two restraining orders in an unrelated stalking case.
