Legendary reggaeton act Don Omar has legal issues brewing with DJ Envy associate Cesar Pina.
In legal documents, Omar, born Omar Landrón Rivera, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, Dec. 19, claiming that Pina used images of the artist on his real estate website. Omar’s attorneys said that the use of his image and likeness on the platform was “misappropriation, violation of the right to publicity, defamation, false light, fraud and a number of applicable torts.”
Before moving forward with the lawsuit, Omar claimed that a cease-and-desist letter was issued to Pina on Dec. 4, who allegedly refused to take the photos down. The aforementioned website now shows an error code, although Pina’s Instagram appears to be active. DJ Envy was not named in the documents.
Omar filed an initial lawsuit against Pina, alleging that he was deceived into a fraudulent real estate deal. The artist claimed he invested into properties under Pina’s real estate company and that despite spending $2 million for one deal, it hadn’t produced “a single document relevant to the acquisition, renovation, and rental of the properties,” the suit read.
Omar is seeking $5 million in damages. In October, Pina was arrested for conducting a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme, with some victims of the alleged scam claiming that DJ Envy had co-hosted Pina’s real estate seminars. As Envy, born Raashaun Casey, also claimed that he was a victim of Pina’s alleged misconduct, Pina went to Instagram Live in October, calling the two “partners.”
“DJ Envy’s attorney’s defense that DJ Envy is a victim—that’s the dumbest shit I ever heard in my life,” Pena said. “Me and him were partners in the real estate seminars, we were partners in a couple of real estate transactions. That’s it. He’s not a victim. He was my partner, he was an investor.”
