Juan Gabriel: Iván Aguilera Files $100 Million Suit Against Univision, Telemundo For Defamation

Iván Aguilera, son of Juan Gabriel, has filed a $100 million suit against Univision and Telemundo. In the lawsuit, Simona Aguilera -Iván's wife- is also named as a plaintiff. Both are claiming that the Spanish-language networks are giving voice to people that did not know "El Divo de Juárez" with defamatory statements. Joao Aguilera is also named as a defendant as well as his mother Consuelo Rosales, his attorney Annalie Alvarez, and an unrelated individual who goes by the name Alberto Gomez.

The suit claims that "Joao was not part of Juan Gabriel’s family unit during Gabriel’s life, did not participate in any family functions during Gabriel’s life, and waited more than 25 years, until Gabriel passed away, to say anything about his supposed relationship to Gabriel. Joao has come forward in the press and the courts to make a dubious posthumous claim that Gabriel was his biological father."

Iván and Simona "suspect that Univision Defendants are paying Joao and others to make these false and defamatory statements, so that the Univision Defendants can publish them and reap the financial reward from the resulting increase in readership of their publications."

The defamatory statements that Iván Aguilera is fighting against are as follow:

1. That Juan Gabriel's cause of death, notwithstanding the fact that Gabriel, who was 66 years old, died of natural causes related to a heart condition and possibly diabetes.

2. "A defamatory claim that Plaintiffs disregarded the wishes of Gabriel and cremated his body in a scheme to prevent Joao from obtaining a DNA test and proving his paternity claim. In reality, Gabriel instructed in writing that his body be cremated."

3. "A defamatory claim that Plaintiffs had robbed money and stole houses from Gabriel or his estate, and that Plaintiffs had committed “robberies.” In reality, Plaintiffs never stole anything from Gabriel or the estate."

4. "A defamatory claim that Plaintiffs prevented Joao from attending Gabriel’s funeral. In reality, Gabriel’s funeral was a public event that Joao was able to attend, but apparently chose not to attend; Plaintiffs did not bar or attempt to bar Joao from attending the public funeral."

5. "A defamatory claim that Plaintiffs knew of Joao’s paternity claim while Gabriel was alive and deliberately made arrangements after Gabriel died to thwart the claim. In reality, Plaintiffs did not know about Joao’s paternity claim until after Gabriel passed away."

6. "A defamatory claim that Ivan and Simona met at a “pole dancing club” (i.e., a strip club). They did not."