Manny Pacquiao has launched a new legal offensive, filing a malicious prosecution lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Gabriel Rueda and several law firms, accusing them of pursuing “knowingly false and sensational allegations” in an attempt to extort millions of dollars from him.
The dispute stems from a 2016 lawsuit filed by Rueda, a former waiter at Craig’s restaurant in West Hollywood, who claimed he was owed an $8.6 million finder’s fee for allegedly helping connect Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach with then-CBS president Leslie Moonves to facilitate the 2015 fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. Rueda sought $42 million in damages. In 2024, a judge granted Pacquiao summary judgment, dismissing Rueda’s claims.
Pacquiao now contends that Rueda fabricated the existence of any verbal agreement and suppressed key evidence. According to the new filing, a letter recovered in 2023 from Rueda’s iCloud account stated he “asked for nothing in return” for introducing Roach to Moonves - “No finders fee, no compensation.” Pacquiao’s team alleges the letter was withheld despite discovery requests and a 2018 court order compelling production.
The lawsuit also challenges claims made by Rueda in 2020 that he received threatening messages, including photos of dismembered bodies, allegedly tied to Pacquiao associates. Pacquiao’s attorneys argue the messages were part of a widely distributed drug cartel scam sent to more than 100 people. Rueda dropped that claim in 2024 after it was discredited.
Pacquiao’s legal team asserts he incurred millions in legal fees to clear his name and describes the prior case as “one of the most egregious abuses of the civil justice system.” The filing seeks compensatory and punitive damages against Rueda and the named firms. Meanwhile, Pacquiao is preparing for his Sept. 19 rematch with Mayweather at the Las Vegas Sphere, even as both fighters remain engaged in separate legal battles outside the ring.
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