Ricky Martin will officially respond to allegations made by his nephew in a court hearing Thursday after a Puerto Rico judge granted a restraining order against the singer earlier this month.
He "will directly address the judge at the hearing," a lawyer for Martin told NBC News on Wednesday. Martin will deny he had any romantic or sexual relationship with his nephew and will challenge accusations that he stalked and harassed his nephew, the lawyer said.
The allegations emerged July 1 when a judge granted a temporary restraining order against Martin under Puerto Rico’s Domestic Violence Prevention and Intervention Law, also known as Act 54, court documents obtained by Telemundo and shared with NBC News show.
The name of the person who requested the protection order was redacted from the documents because cases brought forward under Act 54 are considered civil and confidential to protect the identity of the person coming forward with the allegations.
However, after rumors emerged online last week, Martin’s representatives confirmed that the son of the singer's half sister had requested a protection order against Martin.
He went to the court voluntarily to request the order, claiming he sustained a romantic relationship with Martin for seven months and now “fears for his safety,” the protection order reads.
“They separated 2 months ago but the respondent does not accept the separation,” he said of Martin, according to the protection order, adding that the singer “calls him...
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