LOS ANGELES--Luis Miguel, the balladeer known as "El Sol de Mexico," has settled a court battle over a $1 million debt he was ordered to pay his former manager and attorneys, according to legal papers filed in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
The Grammy Award winner had spent a brief time behind bars on May 2 when he was arrested for failure to appear at court hearings and then released on bond.
A federal judge in Los Angeles earlier this year ruled that Miguel's 2013 Rolls-Royce could be seized to help satisfy the $1 million judgment handed down against Miguel by a U.S. judge in New York, according to court papers.
The judgment stemmed from a breach-of-contract lawsuit filed against Miguel by his former manager, William Brockhaus, and included money he owed Brockhaus and for legal fees. The case was later transferred to federal court in California.
Miguel had been scheduled to appear on Thursday in federal court in Los Angeles for a debtor's examination. But in court papers filed on Wednesday, attorneys for both sides said a settlement was reached, so the hearing was canceled. Attorneys for Miguel and Brockhaus did not returns calls on Wednesday.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Matthew Cordova said by phone he could not immediately confirm whether his agency took custody of Miguel's Rolls-Royce. The Marshals Service had previously been involved in the plaintiffs' effort to seize the luxury car.
Amy Messigian, an attorney for Brockhaus, in court papers filed on May 5, detailed her attempts to find the Rolls Royce. Miguel was constantly on the move between his house in Los Angeles and hotels in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and elsewhere, she wrote.
Miguel, the Mexican son of Spanish singer Luisito Rey, is one of the biggest stars in Spanish-language music. He rose to fame with hits such as "Uno + Uno Dos Enamorados" and "La Incondicional" (The Unconditional). His concerts have sold out across Latin America and Europe.
He rarely sings in English but recorded "Come Fly with Me" in a duet with Frank Sinatra in the 1990s.
