Julio Iglesias sues Spanish vice president Yolanda Díaz for defamation, seeking €50,000 over 'chilling' abuse claims
The 82-year-old singer accuses the vice president of publicly presenting unproven allegations as fact after a criminal case against him was shelved.
The allegations and the archived case
In January 2026, two former employees accused Julio Iglesias of sexual abuse, assault, and labor exploitation while working at his residences in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas. The Spanish National Court's prosecutor opened an investigation but later archived the case, concluding that Spanish courts lacked jurisdiction because the alleged crimes occurred abroad and had no relevant links to Spain.
The Audiencia Nacional, following criteria defined by our highest court, has repeatedly interpreted that Spain is not competent to investigate crimes committed abroad when there are no relevant links with our country.
Iglesias, now 82, has consistently denied all accusations. The criminal case was eventually declared null after the singer appealed.
Díaz's public statements
After the case was shelved, Yolanda Díaz, Spain's second vice president and labor minister, posted on Bluesky and spoke on RTVE. She expressed support for the accusers and described their testimonies as "escalofriantes" (chilling), referring to "abusos sexuales" (sexual abuse) and a situation of "esclavitud" (slavery).
Their testimonies are chilling. We are talking about sexual abuse and a situation of slavery.
Those words are now at the center of the civil lawsuit. Iglesias's legal team argues that Díaz, as a high-ranking official, conveyed "clear prejudices of guilt" to the public, effectively treating unproven allegations as established facts.
The legal battle
In February or May 2026, depending on the source, a conciliation act was held between the singer and the vice president. Díaz refused to retract her statements, prompting Iglesias to escalate the matter. On 21 July 2026, his defense filed a civil lawsuit before the Supreme Court, which has jurisdiction due to Díaz's status as a government minister.
The vice president, in her capacity as a high state official, transmitted clear prejudices of guilt to public opinion.
- Prosecutor opens investigation into sexual abuse allegations against Julio Iglesias.
- Case archived due to lack of jurisdiction; alleged crimes occurred abroad.
- Yolanda Díaz calls testimonies 'chilling' and speaks of 'sexual abuse' and 'slavery'.
- Conciliation attempt fails; Díaz refuses to retract.
- Julio Iglesias files civil lawsuit before the Supreme Court.
The lawsuit demands that Díaz acknowledge her statements constituted an illegitimate intrusion into Iglesias's right to honor and pay €50,000 in moral damages. Separately, Iglesias has filed a complaint in a Madrid court against journalists from elDiario.es for "injuries and slander," alleging they published false information about the case.
What Iglesias seeks
The €50,000 sum is symbolic for one of Spain's wealthiest musicians. The core objective is reputational: a judicial declaration that a government minister violated a fundamental constitutional right by publicly presenting unproven allegations as fact.
We seek a ruling that the vice president's statements infringed a fundamental right protected by the Constitution.
The Supreme Court will now have to weigh the limits of political speech against the right to honor, in a case that tests how far a public official can go when commenting on unadjudicated allegations.
