The hashtag #FreeNadineLustre trended on Twitter last night, following the ruling of a Quezon City court ordering screen star Nadine Lustre to honor her contract with talent management Viva Artist Agency (VAA).
Nadine’s fans rallied on the microblogging site after the ruling of the regional trial court of Quezon City favored VAA, ordering the singer and actress to honor and uphold her contract with the agency.
The court also ordered the 27-year-old star to “cease and desist” from entering contracts that require her services as an artist or endorser without the consent and participation of VAA.
In early 2020, Nadine announced that she was ending her contract with her agency, and added that she would be “self-managed.” VAA filed a lawsuit against the ‘Ulan’ and ‘Indak’ star in December 2020 claiming that the actress “continuously violated” her contract with the agency.
In a statement released by Nadine’s lawyers, “the court denied Viva’s claims for attachment and garnishment of Nadine’s hard-earned earnings and her Bank accounts.”
“We still consider it a victory since Viva was not able to get her hard-earned money during the time of her self-management,” Nadine’s lawyer Lorna Kapunan told ABS-CBN News.
Nadine’s camp will file a motion for reconsideration on the ruling that ordered the actress to uphold her contract with VAA.
Her lawyer added that Nadine will push through with her online concert Absolute Madness, and VAA will claim its 40 percent commission, and further engagements will be reviewed by the agency.
Nadine first signed with the agency in 2009, then renewed her contract in 2014 for another 10 years until 2024. The same contract was renewed for another five years, moving the contract to end by 2029.