Ricky Martin is facing a $3 million lawsuit from his former manager.
via ET:
In new court docs obtained by ET, Rebecca Drucker, who served as Martin’s manager in 2014-2018 and again from May 2020 to April 2022, is alleging that she was not paid the money she was owed per the management agreement she says they established, with the suit noting that Martin “maliciously refused to pay Rebecca the millions of dollars in commissions that he owes her under their management agreement.”
In the complaint filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Drucker asked for $3 million, “or according to proof, and unpaid commissions are accruing on an ongoing basis.”
Drucker claims that she “saved Ricky Martin’s career” and that she “protected” the “Livin’ la Vida Loca” singer from “the consequences of his reckless indiscretions.”
“Rebecca did so not only because she was his manager, but also because she thought that Martin was her dear friend,” the suit filed by attorneys Joshua M. Rosenberg and Armound Ghoorchian at Venable LLP read.
Drucker alleged that she was in “a toxic work environment” and alluded to “a particularly ugly incident in Dubai involving Martin and his representative José Vega” in 2018, which caused her to resign from the role. After months of Martin asking for Drucker’s return, she says she decided to give her professional relationship with Martin “another shot,” returning as manager in May 2020.
But upon her return, Drucker claims she found that The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story actor’s personal life was “in disarray.”
“Although Martin’s career flourished since he re-hired Rebecca as his manager in May 2020, she was forced to deal with a litany of Martin’s personal issues, such as problems with the nanny he hired to care for his children, Martin’s nonpayment of taxes, and his substance abuse, among other issues,” the suit alleged.
Drucker also claims she took steps to protect Martin’s career. In September 2020, Martin received a letter from a highly-respected litigation attorney in Los Angeles, in which the attorney threatened to publicly file a legal complaint against Martin if he did not pay money to resolve a claim against him alleged by this attorney’s client.
“After reading the legal letter, Martin collapsed. He expressed his extreme fear to Rebecca that if this threat were carried out, the consequences to Martin would be catastrophic,” the suit alleged.
In response, Drucker brought in “one of the top defense attorneys in Los Angeles” to defend the performer against the “devastating claim.”
“Needless to say, the claim ultimately never saw the light of day,” with Drucker alleging that “once again” she “saved Martin’s career” with the “exceptional managerial and advisory services that she provided to him” during the ordeal.
While dealing with these matters was all “part of the job” for Drucker, she claims she was not “receiving the compensation from the Martin Entities that she deserved.”
In addition, after an attempt to resign as Martin’s manager in July 2021, Drucker remained in the role at an increased rate, claiming she was promised a ten percent commission on gross income under the Management Agreement moving forward, instead of the five percent they agreed to in May 2020 — which she claims Martin Entities has refused to pay her and will likely not pay her, in the future for “Martin’s services as a singer, songwriter, actor, sponsor, and influencer, among other professional activities” Drucker claims “she is entitled based on said future gross income.”
The complaint, Drucker’s attorney says, “only scratches the surface,” With Rosenberg adding that Drucker looks forward to taking the matter to trial.
“Rebecca looks forward to having her day in court and prosecuting her claims in front of a jury,” Rosenberg said after Wednesday’s filing.
They better leave our Ricky alone!
