Ricky Martin Will Appear In Court To Deny Nephew's Incest Claims

Ricky Martin is set to testify in court to deny claims by his 21-year-old nephew that the two of them had a sexual and romantic relationship. According to a report from TMZ, the singer will appear in court on Thursday, July 21st, before a judge in Puerto Rico via Zoom. TMZ says Martin will directly address the judge and "vigorously deny" he had any romantic or sexual interactions with his nephew who claimed a relationship went on for 7 months.

Martin will also challenge the nephew's account that he stalked and harassed him. Earlier this month, Martin's nephew got a temporary restraining order prohibiting the singer from having any contact with him. TMZ reports that the restraining order was ex parte, which means Martin nor his team were in court to rebut the allegations. It's now up to the judge to decide whether to extend the restraining order which is set to expire on July 21st.

Various reports claim that Martin could face up to 50 years in prison if he's charged with an incest-related crime but TMZ reports their sources say there is no criminal investigation, just the civil restraining order.

On July 3rd, Marin took to his Twitter to address his nephew's claims. In a statement, he said, "The protection order entered against me is based on completely false allegations, so I will respond through the judicial process with the facts and the dignity that characterize me."