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On July 21, the court case against Ricky Martin involving his nephew was dismissed. Martin's 21-year-old nephew had accused him of s*xual abuse, but he withdrew the case on Thursday.
The allegations had initially come to light on July 1, after which a judge granted the alleged victim a restraining order against Martin under the Domestic Abuse Prevention and Intervention Act.
Ricky Martin took to this official Twitter account to share his lawyers' joint statement after the dismissal. Martin added, "Truth prevails," in the caption of the tweet. Furthermore, a video obtained by TMZ and Page Six also showed Martin finally addressing the situation and explaining his prior silence.
Ricky Martin calls the court case experience "painful and devastating," and sends a message to the accuser
After the allegations initially surfaced, Martin had tweeted the above, stating that he could not make detailed statements since it was an ongoing legal matter. He emphasized that the allegations were completely false.
In a video obtained by TMZ and Page Six, Ricky Martin finally addressed the case after its dismissal and called the allegations "painful and devastating." He began by stating his reason for filming the response:
"I'm in front of the cameras today because I really need to talk in order to start my healing process."
He also mentioned that he wasn't allowed to address the public until the case was resolved:
“For two weeks, I was not allowed to defend myself because I was following procedure, where the law obligated me not to talk until I was in front of the judge."
The singer then expressed relief at the resolution of the case, but also mentioned how it had affected his life.
"Thank God these claims were proven to be false, but I’m going to tell you the truth, it has been so painful and devastating for me, for my family for my friends. I don’t wish this upon anybody.”
Addressing the petitioner, Martin said that he wishes him "the best." He stated:
“To the person that was claiming this nonsense, I wish him the best and I wish he finds the help so he can start a new life filled with love and truth and joy and he doesn’t hurt anybody else.."
For Martin, his current priority is to heal with the help of music. He ended the video by expressing gratitude to the fans and family members who supported him through this ordeal.
Ricky Martin posted his lawyers' statement on Twitter
The singer informed his fans of the dismissal of the s*xual abuse case against him via a tweet. He attached the statement provided by his lawyers Joaquín Monserrate Matienzo, Carmelo Dávila, and Harry Massanet Pastrana to the post. They said:
"Just as we had anticipated, the temporary protection order was not extended by the Court. The accuser confirmed to the court that his decision to dismiss the matter was his alone, without any outside influence or pressure, and the accuser confirmed he was satisfied with his legal representation in the matter... The request came from the accuser asking to dismiss the case."
The lawyers also noted that their client "saw justice" and could "move forward" with his life and career. They further added about the accuser:
"This was never anything more than a troubled individual making false allegations with absolutely nothing to substantiate them."
While the name of the petitioner was not revealed publicly in the beginning due to the nature of the case, it was later reported by Spanish publication Marca that Eric Martin, the singer's brother, had revealed the petitioner to be Ricky's nephew. It was also reported that Martin had allegedly been in a romantic relationship with his nephew.
Martin's lawyers and representatives were confident of his innocence
In a statement to People Magazine, Ricky Martin's attorney Marty Singer said that his client has "never been and would never be involved in any kind of s*xual or romantic relationship with his nephew." Calling the case "untrue" and "disgusting," the attorney further added that he hopes the accuser "gets the help he so urgently needs."
Martin's representatives also spoke to People Magazine when the allegations first came to light and said:
"The allegations against Ricky Martin that lead to a protection order are completely false and fabricated... We are very confident that when the true facts come out in this matter, our client Ricky Martin will be fully vindicated."
As of now, the allegations against Martin have been dismissed. However, neither the petitioner nor their team has commented on the same yet.
