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Gloria Trevi — arguably one of the most successful Mexican pop acts of all time — has weathered trials and tribulations throughout a long career, but she’s now facing a legal battle over renewed allegations of serious sexual wrongdoing.
The dispute resurfaced in December 2022, when two unnamed Jane Does filed a lawsuit alleging that Trevi and Sergio Andrade, her ex-producer and manager, had “groomed” and “exploited” them when they were between the ages of 13 and 15. The lawsuit also named backup singer María Raquenel Portillo, also known as Mary Boquitas, over her alleged involvement in the abuse.
Trevi has for many years categorically denied such claims. In a statement released after the December 2022 lawsuit was filed, she wrote: “These false accusations, which were first made against me 25 years ago, have been tried in various courts and, in all instances, I have been completely and totally acquitted. For these old, disproven claims to resurface now is tremendously painful for me and for all my family. The accusations were false when they were made and remain false today.”
The story dates back decades. Trevi, Andrade and Portillo were arrested in 2000 in Rio de Janeiro — where they had fled to avoid prosecution — for allegedly luring young girls into a cult-like pornographic ring where they were kidnapped, raped and corrupted. All three were eventually extradited to Mexico, where Trevi was acquitted in 2004 on charges of rape, kidnapping and corruption of minors.
“Many people don’t understand that I wasn’t detained for a crime. I was part of a process,” Trevi told Billboard in 2014. “I was exploited by those who I was working with. All I did was [to] be loving, faithful and loyal. God picked me up. He protected me. He took me out. I was cleared. I was released. I’ve never committed a crime.”
Trevi scored her first big hit in 1990 with the anthemic “Dr. Psiquiatra,” becoming the first Latin female rockstar with her signature untamed hair, ripped tights and leather vests. Since, Trevi has established a 40-year career of hitmaking and touring success. To date, she has four No. 1s on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart and has entered Hot Latin Songs a total of 12 times, including three top 10s with “Con Los Ojos Cerrados” and “Me Siento Tan Sola” from the ’90s and “Cinco Minutos” from 2008.
In August, Trevi released the bio-series Ellas Soy Yo, which chronicles her rise to stardom as an adolescent to become Mexico’s biggest pop star, her involvement in the Trevi-Andrade sex scandal, her time in prison and her return to the stage after being found not guilty. Trevi is currently on her Live Nation-produced Soundtrack Tour visiting over 30 cities across the United States, including L.A., New York, Chicago and Miami.
Facing the new civil lawsuits over the Andrade sex abuse claims, Trevi filed her own counter-lawsuit in December. She claimed that it was Andrade who was the “true predator” that had subjected Trevi and other girls to “total control and sadistic abuse,” and that her Jane Doe accusers had actually been “enlisted to perpetuate his abuse.”
Billboard reached out to Trevi’s team for additional comment on the accusations but had not heard back at press time.
To get caught up on the full story, here’s a timeline of the messy legal saga, from the filing of the cases to where things stand today.
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Two Jane Does Sue Gloria Trevi
A civil complaint was filed in Los Angeles on Dec. 30, 2022 by two Jane Does who allege Trevi, Andrade and María Raquenel Portillo, also known as Mary Boquitas, “groomed” and “exploited” them when they were between the ages of 13 and 15 back in the early 1990s.
According to the plaintiffs, Trevi and Andrade used their “role, status, and power as a well-known and successful Mexican pop star and a famous producer” to coerce sexual contact with them over a course of years, much of it occurring in California. As a result of the alleged sexual harassment, abuse and assault, the Plaintiffs claims to have “suffered severe emotional, physical and psychological distress, including humiliation, shame, and guilt.”
The 30-page lawsuit, which includes claims of childhood sexual abuse, harassment and/or assault, was filed just days before the expiration of California’s Child Victims Act, which temporarily suspended the statute of limitations for sexual abuse lawsuits. After a three-year window of availability, the deadline to file such long-delayed lawsuits was Dec. 31, 2022. A representative for Trevi declined a request for comment on this new case.
Read the entire lawsuit here.
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Trevi’s Statement
Just days after the Jane Does filed the lawsuit in December 2022, Trevi broke her silence denying the allegations.
“My words are directed to everyone who may have seen recent allegations about me but do not know the background and my story,” she began in a statement published on her social media accounts Jan. 6, 2023. “Being a victim of physical and sexual abuse is one of the worst things that can happen to a human being. I say it, and I know it, because I am a survivor. And, my thoughts go out to anyone who, like me, has ever been the victim of any kind of abuse.”
She continued: “But I will not remain silent while I am unfairly accused of crimes I did not commit. These false accusations, which were first made against me 25 years ago, have been tried in various courts and, in all instances, I have been completely and totally acquitted. For these old, disproven claims to resurface now is tremendously painful for me and for all my family. The accusations were false when they were made and remain false today.”
“A trial court carefully examined all the evidence during a judicial process which lasted almost 5 years, and they ruled in my favor,” Trevi wrote. “I will continue to move forward and work to get justice in this case — and I will do so knowing that the truth is on my side.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CnD60zwL-YM
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Mary Boquitas’ Defamation Claim Dismissed
After Mary Boquitas tried to countersue the two Jane Does for defamation, a Los Angeles judge dismissed the claim on Dec. 22, 2023. The plaintiffs named the Mexican singer and actress as a co-defendant in the sex abuse lawsuit they filed December 2022 against Trevi and Andrade.
Judge Ralph C. Hofer ruled that Boquitas had no grounds to sue for defamation, false light and intentional infliction of emotional distress considering their “allegedly defamatory statements are all found in (their) complaint, and any statements made in a legal document in a pending case is protected activity.” Furthermore, “(Boquitas) has offered no evidence in support of any of (her) causes of action,” the ruling explained.
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Gloria Trevi Sues Sergio Andrade
On Dec. 27, Trevi filed a lawsuit against her former manager and music producer Sergio Andrade, claiming he was a “true predator” who subjected Trevi and other girls to “total control and sadistic abuse” in the late 1980s and 1990s. The filing also serves as a counter-lawsuit to the complaint filed Dec. 30, 2022, by two Jane Does who sued Trevi and Andrade for “grooming” and “exploiting” them when they were between the ages of 13 and 15 in the early 1990s.
Trevi alleges in the new lawsuit that she is also one of Andrade’s victims. According to Trevi’s suit, Andrade took advantage of his position as a successful music executive who was often called “Mr. Midas” for being able to recognize and promote young, female artists.
“That position allowed him to draw many young girls into his sphere of influence, who gathered around him in the hopes that he would guide, mentor, and launch their careers in entertainment, as he had previously done for others,” the lawsuit reads. “But once these young girls and women had been drawn into his sphere by dreams of stardom, he subjected them to total control and sadistic abuse — mental, financial, physical, and sexual. Ms. Trevi was one of those young women.”
In a statement issued after filing the lawsuit, Trevi expressed, “No one should have to go through what I experienced and I am determined to hold the perpetrators accountable for their actions.” Her attorney, Camille M. Vásquez, added in her own statement: “Our client, Gloria Trevi, has shown great strength and courage in stepping forward and filing this counterclaim. We are fully prepared to present our case and seek justice on her behalf.”
Read Trevi’s counterclaim here.
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Two More Jane Does Sue Gloria Trevi
On Dec. 28, two new Jane Does filed a 98-page lawsuit in L.A. against Trevi, Andrade and Boquitas. The plaintiffs allege they are survivors of sexual abuse, sexual battery, assault and molestation at the hands of the three defendants. “Trevi and Andrade used their role, status, and power as a well-known and successful Mexican pop star and a famous producer to gain access to groom, manipulate, and exploit Plaintiffs and coerce sexual contact with them over a course of years, much of it occurring in the State of California,” the lawsuit reads.
As a result, the plaintiffs claim they have suffered “severe” emotional, physical and psychological distress, including “humiliation, shame, and guilt.” A trial by jury has been requested by the two Jane Does. Read the lawsuit here.
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Hearing Set for April 5
An upcoming hearing over whether the Jane Does can proceed anonymously is set to take place Apr. 5. According to court documents, Trevi’s lawyers want the Jane Does to be unmasked because, they read, “There is a cruel hypocrisy that underlies Plaintiffs’ Motion. As Plaintiffs well know, Ms. Trevi is a victim of horrific abuse at the hands of Defendant Sergio Andrade. Yet, Ms. Trevi has been publicly named in Plaintiffs’ inflammatory Complaint and, as a result, subjected to extensive public attention. Meanwhile, Plaintiffs seek to paint themselves as terrified victims desperate to avoid the public eye.”
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