They dated for 10 years, but it seems like love really is lost between Shakira and her ex-boyfriend.
Antonio de la Rua is suing the "Hips Don't Lie" singer, claiming that after they ended their 10-year relationship, she failed to compensate him for all the work he put into developing her brand and unceremoniously cut him out of the business without any notification, Courthouse News Service reported Wednesday.
The couple began dating in 2000, and de la Rua took control of her brand in 2004.
In 2008 de la Rua claims to have masterminded her 10-year $300 million contract with Live Nation.
In 2010 they broke up romantically, but de la Rua claims they continued to work together professionally. Later that year he claims to have resolved a "crisis" that threatened her Live Nation deal.
In 2011, Shakira tried to terminate their contract. "She did not speak to de la Rua directly, but instructed a lawyer to tell him that he had been 'terminated.' From that day, [Shakira] has adopted a strategy of trying to rewrite history, which includes denying the existence of a partnership, belittling de la Rua's contributions to the partnership, and mischaracterizing past events," de la Rua claims in his lawsuit.
De la Rua is suing Shakira for $100 million.
Obviously Shakira would give a different account of their partnership.
The claims sound eerily similar to those made in a bitter legal battle between another former couple. Fashion designer Tory Burch and her ex-husband Christopher Burch are embroiled in a major lawsuit with Christopher claiming Tory unceremoniously cut him out of her business even though he's responsible for her success. But that case may have quietly reached a secret settlement >
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