Lawyers for Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez, better known as the urban artist Daddy Yankee, have filed a lawsuit in the Federal Court in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The lawsuit alleges that producer Rafael “Raphy” Pina Nieves, the artist's ex-wife Mireddys González Castellanos, lawyer Edwin Prado Galarza, Andrés Coll Fernández, and six other companies defrauded him. The singer is seeking $3 million in damages and a jury trial under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). The complaint identifies Pina Nieves as the alleged architect of a scheme that ran from 2004 to February 2025, through which, with the help of third parties like González Castellanos, he inserted himself into the official authorship documentation of multiple songs by Ayala Rodríguez to divert and receive royalties and to obtain copyright and/or publishing rights. “Using his self-proclaimed roles as manager, representative, and artistic label director (referring to Pina Nieves), he exercised control over the artists' finances and used intimidation tactics and emotional manipulation to force loyalty and silence dissent,” his lawyers emphasized. The corporations El Cartel Records Inc. and Los Cangris Inc. are claiming $12 million from Mireddys and her sister Ayeicha González. “(Referring to Pina Nieves) He coordinated with others to falsify documents detailing the ownership percentages of collaborators (split sheets), filed fraudulent authorship documents, and diverted royalties through affiliated entities. Pina Nieves's actions were deliberate to ensure his permanence as the primary beneficiary of the scheme's finances,” they added. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants committed wire fraud, interfered with interstate commerce through extortion, and committed acts of extortion. “Specifically, the defendants went after songs written by Daddy Yankee and other co-writers managed by the company Los Cangris, Inc. Although the plaintiffs acknowledge that some songs not included in this lawsuit are under legitimate agreements granting Pina Nieves a percentage of royalties and publishing shares, Pina Nieves never had authorization over the songs included in this lawsuit,” they added. Additionally, in the document, the lawyers pointed out 15 songs by Daddy Yankee in which Pina Nieves allegedly inserted himself as an author and/or co-author, as well as another 36 songs by other artists/composers.
