A judge in Miami-Dade County, Florida, on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed against Colombian singer Shakira, in which a California man accused her of cheating him out of an alleged multimillion-dollar contract.
The court decision puts an end to a case that, according to the artist’s defense, was based on impersonation and not on real interactions with the Hips Don’t Lie performer.
The plaintiff, an 80-year-old California resident, alleged that he had given more than $140,000 to the singer to finance concerts and the promotion of a biographical book about her life.
According to his version, the agreement was reportedly signed in January 2023 and included the promise of professional collaboration and a romantic relationship.
In the documentation submitted to the court, the plaintiff also claimed to have covered airfare and personal expenses at the artist’s request. However, the evidence provided – consisting of text messages, screenshots and Facebook posts – proved to be inconsistent and lacked direct evidence of contact with the real Shakira.
The images showed a social media profile with the name of the singer, who referred to the plaintiff as her “official husband”, “love of my life” and “business partner”.
However, none of the photographs showed the two together, which raised suspicions about the authenticity of the exchanges. Everything indicated that the man had been the victim of an impostor who usurped the identity of the Colombian star.
Shakira’s legal response and irregularities in the lawsuit
The artist’s legal team, led by attorney José Becerra, requested the immediate dismissal of the case, arguing procedural errors and lack of legal grounds. In its motion, the defense listed three key irregularities:
No formal subpoena was ever issued or filed.
The amended complaint was not served on the defendant or any resident of the defendant’s domicile.
The process server did not inform the recipient about the content of the legal documents.
These omissions, according to the attorney, rendered the claim invalid from its inception.
During the hearing held on Thursday, neither the plaintiff nor his legal representation appeared in court. Judge Daryl E. Trawick, in charge of the case, asked Shakira’s attorney to try to contact the plaintiff. Becerra responded that he would do so, although he only had a contact email address.
In his intervention before the judge, José Becerra explained that the case was nothing more than an example of digital fraud.
“If I might add, your honor, what we have here is a case of impersonation. Someone who impersonated the defendant apparently had interactions with this plaintiff. That’s what we would prove if the case were to proceed,” the lawyer said.
Becerra added that the plaintiff himself had sent an e-mail the night before the hearing expressing his intention to withdraw the lawsuit, which would confirm that he understood that he had been deceived.
“Given the substantial time plaintiff has had to serve, coupled with his failure to file any motion for extension of time, we respectfully request that the court dismiss the case with prejudice,” concluded the legal representative.
Judge Trawick granted the motion and agreed to dismiss the case with finality, thus closing the legal process.
So far, Shakira has not issued any public statements on the case. The artist is in the middle of her world tour Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (Women Don’t Cry Anymore), with which she has toured America and Europe presenting her latest album.
According to her official schedule, the Colombian singer will close the year with two special performances at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida, intimate concerts with which she will end a 2025 of great artistic activity.
The court ruling confirms that Shakira had no relationship with the plaintiff or with the aforementioned economic transactions, reaffirming the thesis of her defense: everything was the product of a digital scam. The case highlights the risks of impersonation on social networks, a phenomenon that has affected many public figures in recent years.
With the dismissal of the lawsuit, the Colombian singer closes one more legal episode, while continuing to focus on her musical career and her position as one of the most influential Latin artists in the world.
Find out more at ‘QueOnnda.com’.
