Ricky Martin has been accused of sexual assault following a similar case recently filed by his nephew Dennis Yadiel Sánchez Martin, which was later dismissed.
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The new complaint was filed on Sept. 9 at a police department in San Juan, Puerto Rico, just days after Martin sued his nephew for $20 million for alleged extortion over his recent allegations.
“These claims are wildly offensive and completely untethered from reality,” said Martin’s lawyer José Andréu-Fuentes in a statement. “When this man previously made similar allegations, his legal case had to be withdrawn—not least because he himself admitted under oath that Ricky Martin had never assaulted him in any way.”
Though the details of the new claim and identity of the accuser were not made public, Andréu-Fuentes alluded to the singer’s nephew, who is the son of Ricky Martin’s sister Vanessa, in his statement. ”Now, after being sued for trying to extort Mr. Martin, he is attempting to spread his lies again,” added Andréu-Fuentes. “It is beyond time that the media stops giving this deeply troubled individual the oxygen of publicity and allows him to get the help he so clearly needs.”
The recent allegations are being investigated and will not warrant an arrest at this time. Dennis Martin, 21, initially filed a domestic abuse restraining order against his uncle on July 2, claiming that he ended a seven-month relationship with the singer, who did not take it well and continued to loiter outside of his home and reach out to him, in addition to claiming physical and psychological abuse also occurred during their relationship.
His initial claim alleged that the pair were romantically involved for seven months and that Martin “did not accept” that their relationship had ended. Dennis said he “feared for his safety” when requesting the initial order.
“Unfortunately, the person who made this claim is struggling with deep mental health challenges,” said another lawyer of Martin’s Marty Singer. “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. 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.”
In Ricky Martin’s recent lawsuit against his nephew, the singer claims that Dennis made the false allegations after his uncle didn’t follow him back on Instagram and “ignored” his requests to create a social media page for Ricky’s children.
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