Ricky Martin is turning the tables.
The "Livin' La Vida Loca" singer accuses his nephew, Dennis Yadiel Sánchez Martin, of extortion in a $30 million civil lawsuit filed in a San Juan, Puerto Rico court on Sept. 7. Ricky, 50, submitted the papers two months after a judge granted Dennis' request to dismiss a temporary restraining order he had obtained against the pop star, in which he claimed his uncle allegedly stalked and harassed him after engaging in a sexual relationship with him. The singer's attorneys had denied the allegations.
The new lawsuit, printed in Spanish and obtained by E! News, accuses Dennis of being a "maladjusted individual" of "legal age" and alleges that he "persecuted, besieged, harassed, stalked and extorted" Ricky, demanding financial compensation and threatening to "continue his campaign of assassinating his reputation and integrity through false and malicious accusations." Ricky accuses his nephew of continuing to contact him on social media despite withdrawing the restraining order and admitting "under oath that he had never been sexually assaulted" by the pop star.
The lawsuit alleges that Dennis' actions caused "million-dollar contracts and present and future artistic projects" to be canceled, resulting in at least $10 million in financial damages, and caused "damage" to the pop star's reputation "in a sum of not less than $20 million.
In his lawsuit, Ricky alleges that from October 2021 to January 2022, Dennis constantly sent messages to him through WhatsApp and Instagram, sometimes more than 10 a day. Ricky said that, as his uncle, he answered them when he could, in a bid to provide "words of encouragement." He stated that in December, he refused a request from his nephew to follow him on Instagram.
According to the lawsuit, Ricky also declined a later request from Dennis to take his children to the movies. The pop star, a father of four, added that in January, his nephew allegedly told him that he had created a social media page for one of his kids, which "dismayed" Ricky, who then ignored future messages. Dennis then allegedly posted the star's cell phone number on Instagram, prompting him to receive unwanted calls and then change his number. His next communication, the lawsuit states, was his restraining order filing in July.
"Sánchez alleged falsely that he had had a romantic relationship with [Ricky] for seven months and that it had ended two months earlier," the singer's filing states. "He further claimed that [Ricky] did not accept that the alleged relationship ended and that he called him frequently. Nothing [could be] further from the truth."
Ricky alleges in his lawsuit that the restraining order request was "based on lies and actual malice," and "intended to harass and harm" the singer and "sully his reputation." Ricky also wrote that his nephew's actions have caused him and his family to feel unsafe in Puerto Rico.
E! News has reached out to both of their attorneys for comment and has not heard back.