Gloria and Emilio Estefan awarded $7,500 sanctions after court dismisses bizarre Diddy tunnel lawsuit

Gloria and Emilio Estefan were given $7,500 after they won a case against a lawyer who accused them of transporting people to Diddy's home through a tunnel from their house. Gloria and Emilio Estefan denied having any connections to Combs' "freak-offs," and the judge commented that the tunnel was an "engineering impossibility". Additionally, the judge also said that the claims Manzaro Joseph made against the Estefans were "frivolous," "unsupported," and "beyond implausible."

The court said that there was insufficient credible evidence for Travis R. Walker, Joseph's attorney, to proceed with the case further. In the statement, the judge wrote:

"None of the exhibits Attorney Walker has provided corroborate even a fraction of the factual claims... Nor would they convince an attorney of ordinary prudence that the narrative is credible."

Keep reading to know how Gloria and Emilio Estefan defended themselves in court, and how they reacted after they won the case against Manzaro Joseph.

How did Gloria and Emilio Estefan defend themselves in court?

Manzaro Joseph filed a lawsuit against Gloria and Emilio Estefan, claiming that he was transported to one of Diddy's parties at the time through a secret tunnel under their house. The Estefans denied these claims, stating that they had no connections to Sean Combs' parties.

Emilio Estefan said in his affidavit:

"Star Island is a man-made island formed by dredging sand... You cannot dig very far at all before you will hit water."

The judge also agreed with Emilio's statement and said that the tunnel would be an "engineering impossibility."

While his wife, Gloria, added that they were not living at the house when the "freak-offs" happened. They would often have family living there, or rent the house to people, making it impossible for them to transport Joseph at the time when he claimed the incident happened. She also said that Joseph's story was "pure fantasy".

Manzaro Joseph also claimed that other celebrities were present at Combs' party. He mentioned Jay Z, Beyoncé, and LeBron James. However, after investigating, it was found that the stars were nowhere near Star Island at the time. Jay Z and Beyoncé were traveling, while James was playing basketball in Cleveland.

Joseph is known for having a history of filing "frivolous lawsuits". His attorney, Travis R. Walker, was also reprimanded by the bar for neglecting client duties.

How did Gloria and Emilio Estefan respond to the "frivolous" claims against them?

Emilio Estefan took to Instagram to clear both their names. In a recent post, he wrote in the caption:

"I am grateful the Court recognized the truth. These false claims were hurtful to my family and reputation, and we are relieved this matter is behind us."

The statement on the post, however, reads:

"The lawsuit filed against Emilio Estefan, Jr. has been dismissed in its entirety. The Court not only rejected the amended complaint but also sanctioned the plaintiff's attorney, finding the claims frivolous and unsupported."

It continued:

"In its ruling, the Court emphasized that the allegations concerning Mr. Estefan were so "thin" they could not sustain the "sweeping" accusations of human trafficking, obstruction of justice, or witness tampering. Importantly, none of those allegations were about Mr. Estefan."

It also clarified the fact that the Estefans had no connection with Diddy. The statement said:

"The only supposed "facts" against him were that the Estefans once owned a home on Star Island many years ago next to Sean "Diddy" Combs, a property where they never resided and which was occupied by other family members. When the property was not occupied by family members, it was leased out to third-parties."

It also explained the claim that Manzaro made:

"Plaintiffs claimed the house contained a tunnel to Combs's residence, allegedly used to transport the plaintiff, who said he was later humiliated by others, not Estefan. The Court found these claims to be "objectively frivolous" and "beyond implausible." It further noted that the supposed tunnel was an "engineering impossibility." As Mr. Estefan's affidavit explained: 'Star Island is a man-made island formed by dredging sand. You cannot dig very far at all before you will hit water.'"

The judge's ruling cleared Gloria and Emilio Estefan of all false allegations, calling the claims "frivolous" and "beyond implausible." Along with restoring their reputation, the court also ordered a $7,500 payment in their favor.

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