Estefans pursue action after Diddy-linked trafficking suit dismissed

Gloria and Emilio Estefan say they plan to pursue legal action after they were named in a now dismissed civil lawsuit alleging a bizarre human trafficking scheme linked to Sean "Diddy" Combs. A federal judge has imposed sanctions on the attorney who filed an amended complaint that included what the court called objectively frivolous claims, and the Estefans have publicly rejected the allegations as false and damaging to their reputation.

The complaint, filed in April, alleged that plaintiff Manzaro Joseph was drugged and transported in 2015 through an underground tunnel from the Estefans former Star Island property to a party at Diddy’s neighboring home, where Joseph said he was assaulted. The court dismissed the allegations against the Estefans on July 24, and later this month U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks ordered the attorney who filed the amended complaint, Travis Walker, to pay $7,500 in sanctions for pursuing claims the judge found to be frivolous without adequate investigation.

The judge criticized the amended pleading as a shotgun filing that lacked clarity and relied heavily on the plaintiff’s account without verifying key factual issues. Court filings and...