Singer Shakira has been sued by her former manager and romantic partner Antonio de la Rua for USD 100 million.
Rua, an Argentinian businessman, met Shakira in 2000 and dated her, has alleged that their severed business partnership entitles him to USD 100 million as the value of Shakira's 2008 10-year deal with Live Nation alone is worth USD 300 million, the Hollywood Reporter said.
According to Rua's suit, which was filed on April 12 in California Superior Court, the credit for Shakira's success as a globally hit musician should be shared by him.
Rua takes credit for expanding Shakira's reach beyond the Latin American market, calling himself the "principal architect of her management team and business plan that set 'Shakira' on the path to lasting financial success."
Rua claims that their business partnership continued even after their romance ended and he has cited a January 2011 announcement on Shakira's website to prove that.
But Shakira terminated Rua's contract within a year and she was signed with Roc Nation, the management company owned by Jay-Z.
The de la Rua suit is apparently in response to a preemptive filing by Shakira in the Bahamas.
Shakira is currently dating Spanish soccer player Gerard Pique, with whom she has a son.
