Natalia Jiménez, former vocalist of La Quinta Estación, tearfully announced that a judge in the United States ruled in her favor in the lengthy legal process against her Cuban ex-husband, Daniel Trueba, granting her custody rights of their nine-year-old daughter Alessandra.
The Spanish singer shared the news in an emotional video posted on Instagram on Tuesday, where she explained the implications of the legal victory and expressed her gratitude to those who supported her during the six years of litigation.
"Today is a very important day for me, a very happy day for our family, because we have succeeded in getting the judge to allow us to relocate with Alessandra so that we can live together, without so many difficulties, without so many obstacles, and to be able to plan the life that Alessandra deserves to live, a life without so many conflicts," she declared, visibly emotional.
The judicial process, which began with the couple's separation in 2020, involved disputes over the right to travel with the minor to Mexico, the choice of her school, and the recovery of child support expenses.
Trueba is a Cuban businessman who worked as a floor manager and producer at Univision in Miami, and who became Jiménez's personal and business manager before they began their romance in 2009. The couple married in December 2015 and welcomed Alessandra in 2016. Their separation was made public in December 2020.
The litigation had a devastating economic impact on the singer. According to reports from various media outlets in 2021, Jiménez had as little as five dollars in her bank account and accumulated debts close to 700,000 dollars. The artist herself acknowledged this in her video: "Six years ago, I was bankrupt and people mocked me, telling me I would never succeed. And here I am."
In her statement, the artist thanked her supporters, her parents, and her lawyer, Susan Klock, for defending her "to the very last resort." She also expressed gratitude to friends in Mexico, Los Angeles, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Spain, and Miami, as well as to the Virgin of Guadalupe.
A fundamental pillar during the process was her current husband, the Mexican manager Arnold Hemkes, whom she married on November 29, 2024, in an intimate ceremony held in Guadalajara, Mexico. Little Alessandra participated as a maid of honor in the wedding.
The court ruling paves the way for mother and daughter to move to Mexico, a country to which Jiménez is deeply connected since her time with La Quinta Estación.
The most moving moment of the video came when the singer spoke directly to other mothers going through similar situations: "I just want to tell all the women who are going through a difficult time like I have that they shouldn’t lose hope. Sometimes people expect us to get tired, but as mothers, we have to do the impossible for our children."
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