A mother of two says Grammy winner Elvis Crespo tried to force her to have sex with him at a Chicago nightclub, according to a lawsuit reported Wednesday by Courthouse News Service.
Leoanny De La Cruz, who works in the Chicago schools, says in the suit that on Feb. 18, 2011, after the merengue singer performed at V-Live, Crespo groped her and attempted to strip her clothes and force her into intercourse, according to Courthouse News. The club is also named in the action, filed in Cook County Court.
De La Cruz's lawyer, Scott Blumenshine, confirmed the suit and told The Huffington Post his client had suffered from the incident. "It was emotionally upsetting," he said. "It caused her to have thoughts and feelings that any normal person would have in those circumstances. There was a nonconsensual physical assault on her person."
Crespo said through his publicist: "None of the events mentioned in this lawsuit occurred. The matter is in the hands of my lawyer."
According to Blumenshine, De La Cruz had met Crespo in a pre-event gathering at the club and that the alleged attack occurred after he had finished performing.
The attorney said De La Cruz received medical attention and a criminal report was also filed. Asked why De La Cruz waited nearly two years to sue, he answered to HuffPost, "The decision to seek redress in public courts is not a decision that's made lightly and the decision to go forth was made after careful consideration."
De La Cruz seeks damages for "battery, emotional distress and negligence," according to CN.
Crespo had yet to be served, Blumenshine noted.
Crespo, a New York City native who has also lived in Puerto Rico, had a No. 1 hit in 2012 with "Yo No Soy Un Monstruo" ("I'm Not A Monster") on the Billboard Tropical charts. He captured a 1999 Grammy for best merengue performance for "Pintame." In 2004, his "Saborealo" won a Latin Grammy for best merengue album.
In 2009, the performer was accused of masturbating in front of a passenger on a flight between Houston and Miami.
He married his manager, Maribel Vega, shortly before the alleged incident.
This story was updated to include a response from Elvis Crespo.