Ricky Martin has responded to claims he had a romantic relationship with his 21-year-old nephew — branding the allegations “untrue and disgusting”.
The legendary pop star strongly denied the accusation, which came after a temporary restraining order was filed against him earlier this month in the wake of domestic abuse allegations.
The accuser filed the order in Puerto Rico anonymously but was later revealed to be his nephew, Dennis Yadiel Sanchez.
It was alleged at the time that he had been involved in a seven-month relationship with the Livin’ la Vida Loca singer.
According to the restraining order filing, Sanchez claimed they broke up two months ago but said Martin did not accept the separation.
The petitioner also alleged that Martin had been seen loitering near his house at least three times, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Ricky Martin’s lawyer says nephew suffers from mental illness
The 50-year-old She Bangs crooner has hit back at his nephew’s claims by hiring the service of Hollywood lawyer Marty Singer to represent him ahead of a hearing scheduled on the case.
“Unfortunately, the person who made this claim is struggling with deep mental health challenges,” Martin’s lawyer Marty Singer alleged in a statement to the press.
“Ricky Martin has, of course, never been — and would never be – involved in any kind of sexual or romantic relationship with his nephew,” Singer said, adding: “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.”
Singer Ricky Martin also rejected the “completely false” allegations with a statement of his own on social media.
The petition for the restraining order was made under Puerto Rico’s Law 54, also known as the Domestic Abuse Prevention and Intervention Act.
His brother Eric also released a video on social media alluding to their nephew’s alleged struggle with mental illness, via TMZ.
Hearing set for this coming week
A hearing has been set for July 21 in Puerto Rico in the wake of the allegations made by his nephew.
If the singer faces domestic abuse felony charges, he could be looking at a nearly 50-year sentence if found guilty, according to Deadline.
The allegations surfaced only days after Rebecca Drucker, Martin’s former manager, filed a lawsuit with the Los Angeles Central District Court in June, claiming that the singer owes her more than $3 million in unpaid commissions.
The Latin pop star is married to Jwan Yosef, a Syrian-born Swedish painter. The couple married in 2017 and share a daughter, Lucia Martin-Yosef, and a son, Renn Martin-Yosef.