Florida lawyer tried to link the Estefans to Diddy. Now he’s in trouble
If you wrongly come for Emilio Estefan, be prepared for some smoke.
Last April, when allegations about Sean “Diddy” Combs were at a fever pitch, the Latin music icon was named as a defendant in a shocking human trafficking civil lawsuit.
West Palm Beach man Joseph Manzaro claimed that 10 years earlier, he’d been assaulted at Diddy’s mansion then transported to a residence owned by Emilio and his wife Gloria via a “tunnel.” At the time of Manzaro’s wild story, the Estefans did own 1 Star Island, which neighbors Combs’ mansion at 2 Star Island; they sold it to the rapper in 2021 for $35 million.
But the power couple denied anything untoward happened there and said no such tunnel existed, adding it was an “engineering impossibility.”
“There were no parties thrown at that property between 2012 and 2019,” the Estefans said via their lawyer in the wake of the suit. “We have all necessary documentation to support these facts and will provide it to the court.”
In August, Southern District of Florida Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks agreed, and threw the whole case out, citing a lack of evidence.
Now, in an extraordinary move, Manzaro’s lawyer Travis Walker publicly apologized to Estefans. The Miami Sound Machine founder shared an Instagram post Thursday showing a clip of Walker — who was fined $7,500 by the judge — facing the music on camera, speaking directly to the local superstar.
“As you know, the lawsuit has been dismissed, and the court has sanctioned my behavior to find my claims to be without merit,” begins Walker, who has offices on the Treasure Coast of Florida. “This outcome reflects what I should have recognized from the beginning, the accusations were unfounded and I should have never made them. I deeply regret my decision to pursue legal action and recognize that my actions caused you unnecessary stress, damage to your reputation, and significant personal and professional hardship.”
Walker goes on to say the sanctions were “appropriate” and he accepted them as a consequence of his “wrongful conduct.”
“I want you to know that I am genuinely remorseful for my actions,” he continued. “There is no excuse for what I did ... You have my assurance nothing like this will happen again.”
Estefan weighed in on the apology in the post’s caption:
“This video reminds us that we can’t believe everything we read or hear. In these times of the internet and social media, news spreads quickly and many times it isn’t true,” wrote the Grammy-winning producer. “It’s our responsibility—not just for ourselves but for others as well—to defend the truth and demand it. It’s a shame!”
This story was originally published November 21, 2025 at 2:07 PM.
