Why Did Jennifer Lopez’s 1st Husband Sue Her?
Jennifer Lopez’s marriage to her first husband, Ojani Noa, was brief, but the drama between them was not. In the years after their divorce, they both filed lawsuits against each other, putting an end to the fragile camaraderie between them. Here’s why Noa initially sued her, and what eventually led to her filing a lawsuit of her own.
Jennifer Lopez’s first husband sued her after their divorce
After Lopez and Noa divorced, he said they still remained friends. When she opened the Pasadena restaurant Madre’s in 2002, she even brought him on to manage it. The position did not last long.
After just six months, Noa lost his job. In 2004, he sued her for breach of contract. Per CBS News, he alleged that she fired him “without good cause or reason.”
“Mr. Noa tried to call Ms. Lopez to find out what prompted this sudden change of events,” the lawsuit said. “His calls went unreturned.”
They settled the case.
Jennifer Lopez hit her former husband with a lawsuit
In 2006, Lopez filed a lawsuit against her former husband. In a legal settlement between the two, Noa agreed not to reveal private information about their relationship. This became an issue when he attempted to publish a tell-all book about their marriage, including claims that she had several affairs.
After The New York Post ran a story about Noa’s book, Lopez’s legal team reached out to him. The filing stated that Noa said that “he would not agree to refrain from marketing his book unless [Lopez] paid him the sum of $5 million” (via MTV News).
In 2007, the court sided with Lopez. Per Today, Lopez received $545,000. $200,000 of this was in damages while the rest went to arbitration costs and attorneys’ fees.
Noa had to hand over all materials related to the book to Lopez or her attorney. He also received a permanent ban on “criticizing, denigrating, casting in a negative light or otherwise disparaging or causing disparagement” to Lopez.
He recently said he wished her the best
Noa said that in the years after these lawsuits, he felt bitter towards his former wife.
“For many years I felt burned, bruised,” he said. “I think if she hadn’t had all those people around her then we might still be together.”
By 2022, though, he said he did not want to hang onto the negative feelings.
“But I have my life and I am happy,” he said. “I still believe in love and I hope Jen has finally found the love she has been looking for.”
Despite his well wishes, Noa said he didn’t have high expectations for Lopez’s new marriage to Ben Affleck.
“I wish her and Ben the best, but I’m not convinced it will last,” he said. “Jen loves being in love but she’s been engaged six times. Ben is husband number four. I was husband number one and she told me I was the love of her life. When we lay in bed on our wedding night, she said we would be together forever.”
