Antonio de la Rua claimed in a recent lawsuit filed in California that his former employer and girlfriend, Shakira, owes him $100 million for the work that he did to launch her stardom. De la Rua began working for the singer/songwriter in 2005 and, despite the absence of an employment contract spelling out their working relationship, believes he deserves compensation for his role in Shakira’s musical career.
According to the lawsuit, which was initially filed in New York and requested $250 million but was later withdrawn and refilled in California, de la Rua claims that he convinced Shakira to record her famous hit “Hips Don’t Lie.” That success of that song led to a $300 million deal with Live Nation. De la Rua claims that he was instrumental in building Shakira’s musical brand.
De la Rua also claims that he was instrumental in the creation of “Waka Waka,” which became the 2010 World Cup theme song. For his behind-the-scenes work in inspiring and motivating Shakira, de la Rua believes he is entitled to $100 million.
Shakira does not deny that de la Rua was at some point, her employee in the music business. But, the singer claims that she was already an international star before she met de la Rua and that he should not be paid anymore for work that had already been done, i.e. launching her musical career to the heights it is at today. Shakira is a judge on the hit show The Voice.
Source: Entertainment on Today, “Shakira sued for $100 million by ex-boyfriend,” April 17, 2013
Subscribe To This Blog’s Feed
