Shakira has dodged an costly authorized battle after a decide dismissed a lawsuit filed towards the singer.
According to NBC Miamia Florida decide has dismissed a lawsuit filed by 80-year-old California resident David Kourosh Rashidian, aka Hamid Rashidian. The plaintiff sued Shakira earlier this yr for breach of contract, defamation, intentional infliction of emotional misery and negligent misrepresentation; nonetheless, the singer’s lawyer argued that Rashidan by no means spoke to his consumer straight, and was apparently scammed by a Shakira impersonator.
The grievance, filed within the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida, states Rashidan started speaking with the purported impersonator on Facebook in 2023. The plaintiff mentioned he gave Shakira greater than $140,000 for her participation in his e book mission and to “perform 100 concerts around the world.” Rashidan claimed these funds coated Shakira’s lodge stays, airfare, hospital bills for her mother, “and other personal matters.”
“Despite repeated assurances, you have failed to honor the terms of our agreement,” learn the grievance, reviewed by Complex. “Recently, you contacted me in Cuba, claiming to need $3,500 for emergency travel expenses, which I provided. Upon your return to the United States, you refused to meet with me as agreed to discuss the book and concert arrangements, further breaching the contract.”
The authorized doc included screenshots of textual content exchanges and Facebook DMs between Rashidian and the person he believed to be Shakira. The plaintiff additionally hooked up a duplicate of the 2023 contract, proof of airline ticket purchases, and a threatening textual content message he obtained after informing “Shakira” that he would pursue authorized motion.
Rashidian sought punitive and exemplary damages, in addition to common damages within the quantity of $100,000,000 proof at trial. He additionally requested the courtroom for an injunction to ban the defendant from “making further defamatory statements or engaging in harassment.”
According to NBC MiamiShakira’s lawyer, Jose Becerra, requested the courtroom to dismiss the lawsuit as a result of no summons was ever served, the amended grievance was not introduced to the defendant, and “the process server did not inform the recipient of the contents of the documents.”
Rashidian and his lawyer additionally failed to seem for Thursday’s (October 23) courtroom listening to.
“If I may just add, your honor, what we have here is a case of impersonation,” Becerra advised the decide. “Someone impersonating the defendant… seemingly had interactions with this plaintiff. I would submit that as exactly what we would prove if the case were to proceed, and I surmise that’s why we received an email last night from the plaintiff indicating his intention to drop the case.
“In any occasion, given the substantial period of time that plaintiff has needed to serve, coupled along with his failure to file any movement for extensions of time, I might respectfully ask the courtroom to grant the movement and dismiss the case with prejudice.”