A long-simmering family feud over the iconic musical legacy of celebrated Dominican singer-songwriter Dhario Primero has erupted into a fresh legal confrontation in the United States, bringing unresolved questions of ownership, administrative control, and rights to his expansive work catalog back into the courtroom.
At the heart of the new dispute is a fractured disagreement among the artist’s nine children over which faction holds legitimate legal power to oversee his decades of musical output. This latest court filing comes months after a January ruling that favored a group led by Primero’s three eldest children—Ranphys Ortiz, Dario Jr. Ortiz, and Raphael Primero—who operate through their registered entity RR Entertainment Music Corp. That January decision dismissed a prior lawsuit brought against the eldest siblings’ group, clearing the way for their claim to catalog management.
Now, the conflict has been revived with new legal claims submitted to a U.S. federal court, with a formal hearing scheduled for June 18. During that upcoming session, justices will begin evaluating competing arguments and evidence from both sides, centering on who holds legitimate administrative and intellectual property rights to the Primero catalog.
The group led by the eldest siblings has repeatedly reaffirmed its commitment to protecting what it frames as the integrity of their father’s legacy. Their legal standing, they argue, derives directly from a 2008 arrangement orchestrated by Dhario Primero himself, which laid out formal terms for the transfer and ongoing management of his musical works.
In an official statement, RR Entertainment Music Corp. emphasized that all valid authorizations, commercial transactions, and official communications related to the Primero catalog must originate directly from the corporation to be considered legally binding. The company also confirmed that the same centralized administrative framework it uses for Primero’s catalog also governs the musical works of fellow prominent Dominican composer Rafael Américo Reynoso.
Per the corporation’s update, all official records and documentation related to Dhario Primero’s career and works are hosted exclusively on the artist’s official website. The company also clarified that as the legal process unfolds, Primero’s full discography remains off major digital streaming platforms, and no verified, official social media accounts currently operate under the artist’s name.
As U.S. court proceedings move toward a resolution, the outcome of this dispute will carry lasting stakes: it will formally determine which party will have the final authority to manage, preserve, and share one of the most culturally significant musical legacies in the Dominican Republic’s history.