Shakira Wants $250M Lawsuit Thrown Out

Shakira is asking a New York judge to throw out a $250 million lawsuit filed by her ex-boyfriend, Antonio de la Rua.

The Voice judge dated the Argentine lawyer for over a decade and, in 2011, Shakira announced on her website that she and de la Rua were separating after making “a mutual decision to take time apart from our romantic relationship.” She also wrote that the two viewed “this period of separation as temporary and as a time of individual growth as we continue to be partners in our business and professional lives,” and that de la Rua would continue to oversee her “business and career interests as he has always done.”

However, in September 2012, it was reported that de la Rua, who is the son of former Argentine president Fernando de la Rua, was planning to sue the “Hips Don’t Lie” singer for $250 million, which he claimed was monetary compensation for his work as her business manager. That amount also included ownership of properties that were jointly held by the couple while they were together.

Two months later, it was reported that de la Rua filed a lawsuit in California asking for $100 million he believed Shakira owed him after she terminated their business partnership in 2011.

De la Rua has said that that he shaped the “Shakira brand,” but the new mom, who gave birth to her first child with boyfriend Geard Piqué in January, contends that she is a self-made woman. The 36-year-old said in an affidavit that when she met her ex at a concert in Argentina in 2000, “I was already a well-known and recognized artist, and my international career was established and solid.”

Shakira also said that de la Rua was just one of our numerous advisors, and that, despite the fact that he “lacked experience or knowledge of the music industry,” she decided to involve him in some of her business matters because he was unemployed.

De la Rua, however, says he advised her throughout the relationship, talking her into recording “Hips Don’t Lie,” and orchestrating her $300 million deal with Live Nation in 2008. He also said he suspects that she terminated their partnership because it was causing problems with Piqué, a center back for FC Barcelona and the Spanish National team.

Shakira filed her own lawsuit against de la Rua in the Bahamas in 2012, alleging that he “misappropriated” $3 million of her money. Her lawyers have said that de la Rua has no case against her because none of their business or partnership agreements are in writing. They also said the case should be heard in the Bahamas, where they lived together, or in Shakira’s native Colombia.

Do you think the $250 million lawsuit against Shakira should be thrown out?

[Photo credit: Avis De Miranda / Shutterstock.com]