A lawyer for Shakira's ex-boyfriend Antonio de La Rua (ROO'-ah) says the pop superstar didn't leave his client any other option but to file a New York lawsuit to demand she pay him $100 million in compensation for managing her career.

William T. Reid IV says de la Rua tried to talk to Shakira about what he's owed but the Colombian singer refused. Reid said Monday his client "didn't really want to do this."

De la Rua is the son of former Argentine President Fernando de la Rua. He dated Shakira for more than a decade, and they split last year. He filed the lawsuit Nov. 20.

Shakira's representative at the public relations company 42West and her attorneys at the law firm Fox Horan & Camerini LPP haven't responded to requests for comment.