Jenni Rivera dead, but ugly court battle proceeding

A judge said Monday he is inclined to allow relatives of Jenni Rivera to proceed with most of their case against a former manager of the late singer and the producers of a Univision television show based on her life.

However, after hearing lengthy arguments, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Raphael said he wanted to study the issues further before handing down a final ruling.

The entertainer’s family, through their company, Jenni Rivera Enterprises, sued her former manager, Pete Salgado, and the producers on Sept. 12 concerning the series.

“Her Real Name Was Dolores” is scheduled to debut in January and is based on a book written by Salgado set for publication in March.

JRE alleges Salgado’s book and participation in the series violate a non- disclosure agreement in which he agreed to not reveal personal information about Rivera.

The producers named in the lawsuit are Latin World Entertainment Holdings and co-producers BTF Media, Luis Balaguer and Dhana Media.

Lawyers for the producers filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit on free- speech grounds under California’s anti-SLAPP statute, saying a series about Rivera’s life is a matter of public interest.

A so-called strategic lawsuit against public participation complaint is one which is allegedly intended to censor, intimidate and silence critics by burdening them with the cost of a legal defense. Salgado’s lawyers joined in the producers’ motion.

JRE alleges Salgado breached his agreement with the Rivera family and that he put his own interests ahead of theirs. The suit alleges the producers are liable for interference with contract, inducing breach of contract and unfair competition.

In his tentative ruling, Raphael says he is leaning toward letting JRE proceed with all of the allegations against Salgado and all but the unfair competition claim against the producers.

Salgado maintains a document he signed was not part of the NDA, but instead another contract. However, the judge said Salgado was asking for a “long-odds proposition” with that argument. Raphael also said Rivera’s sister, Rosie Rivera Flores, gave a sworn declaration that she saw Salgado put his pen to the NDA.

Lawyers for the producers argued that there is no evidence their clients induced Salgado to breach his alleged agreement with JRE and so the case against them should be dismissed in its entirety.

A 1969 Learjet 25 with Rivera and members of her entourage aboard crashed on Dec. 9, 2012 — 15 minutes after takeoff — in the mountains of northern Mexico. The 43-year-old singer had just performed in Monterrey and was on her way to Mexico City to appear on the Mexican version of “The Voice.”

Rivera dominated the banda style of regional Mexican music popular in California and northwestern Mexico. She was one of the biggest stars on Mexico television and was popular on “regional Mexican” stations in California.

–City News Service