Ricky Martin Seeks $20 Million In Damages Against Nephew That Accused Him Of Incest

Pop singer Ricky Martin filed a lawsuit in Puerto Rico on Wednesday against the nephew who accused him of sexual assault before retracting his accusation, saying that the false accusations had cost Martin millions of dollars in lost deals.

Martin, the 50-year-old star whose real name is Enrique Martin Morales, filed the suit against his 21-year-old nephew Dennis Yadiel Sanchez, whom he claims continues to ask him for money with threats to refile the case against Martin unless he is properly compensated, according to CBS News.

“The present case is about a world-famous artist, who is being persecuted, besieged, harassed, stalked and extorted by a maladjusted person, whose interest is to obtain an economic benefit or, in the alternative, will continue his eagerness to assassinate the reputation and integrity of the artist,” the suit said.

Among Sanchez’s actions against Martin is posting his phone number on Instagram, as well as incessantly contacting him for months asking for money, with Martin’s lawsuit calling Sanchez a “maladjusted individual” who is continually attacking or threatening to attack him, the New York Daily News reported.

“This was never anything more than a troubled individual making false allegations with absolutely nothing to substantiate them,” Martin’s attorneys said.

The accusation of sexual assault against Martin first surfaced in July, when reports came of a restraining order put against him under Puerto Rico’s domestic violence law. While no official report came out, some outlets claimed that the person filing the suit dated Martin for seven months and was being stalked by Martin after they broke up.

Martin has denied the accusations and is now seeking up to US$20 million in compensation for the damages to his reputation and stature in the entertainment industry which he pointed out he has built for forty years.

“The reckless, malicious and culpable actions by defendant Sánchez were motivated by the desire to expose plaintiff to hatred and disdain from his fanbase, to threaten his business opportunities and to destroy his reputation,” the suit said. “As a matter of fact, such actions caused Plaintiff to have multimillion dollar-contracts and present and future artistic projects canceled.”

Sanchez has not made a statement to the public regarding the suit.