Spanish businessman Nicolas Colate Vallejo-Nagera has suffered a legal setback after a Miami court rejected his request to move his 15-year-old son to Spain.
Judge Marlene Fernández of the Miami Family Court delivered the ruling last week, ordering that the teenager, Andrea Nicolas, must remain living in the United States until he reaches adulthood.
The decision comes despite explicit testimony from the teenager, known to his family as Nico, who told the court that he wished to relocate to Madrid to live with his father. In court filings, the boy described his daily life in Spain and highlighted his close relationship with his paternal grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins. However, the court did not grant his request, maintaining the shared custody agreement established after his parents' divorce.
Vallejo-Nagera, who currently serves as president of a sports club in Badajoz, received the decision initially with astonishment and later with deep sadness. Family sources stated that he does not intend to appeal the court order, though he feels his son is the main party affected by the decision.
Family Reaction and Custody Arrangements
Those close to the Spanish entrepreneur explained that Nico has strong roots in Spain and wanted to be part of a strong family unit rather than limiting contact with his relatives to scheduled visits under the custody agreement. Vallejo-Nagera had not requested to take full custody away from his ex-wife, Mexican pop star Paulina Rubio, but had sought to modify the residency terms of their existing joint arrangement.
The couple married in Mexico in April 2007, and their only child was born in November 2010. Their marriage ended in separation shortly after, and their divorce was finalized in Miami in 2014 when Nico was four years old.
Following the divorce, Vallejo-Nagera chose to settle in Miami to stay close to his son. Before the move, he ran a successful communication agency in Spain, where he had also managed parts of Rubio's professional career. During their relationship, he frequently smoothed over logistical issues and tense moments during her public appearances, including an incident on the television show Dia a dia, hosted by Maria Teresa Campos, when the singer arrived late for a scheduled performance.
Financial Strain and Legal Battles
Living in Florida proved financially and professionally challenging for the Spanish businessman. Vallejo-Nagera explained that although he partnered with local firms in Miami, he could not commit to work full-time because custody dates were frequently altered by Rubio, disrupting their agreed schedule of alternating weeks.
To cover the mounting legal bills from years of litigation in family court, Vallejo-Nagera took on work with Spanish-language television networks in the United States and joined reality television shows in Spain, including Supervivientes in 2019. He noted in previous television interviews that total legal expenses between both parties had exceeded 3 million dollars over the course of their long-running court battle.
He described balancing his daily routine as a single father with his work commitments, sports, yoga, and social visits with Spanish friends, while noting that Miami is one of the most expensive cities in the world. He added that the money required to maintain his living expenses in Florida would allow him to live far more comfortably in Madrid, where making ends meet was less difficult.
Teenage Years and Future Outlook
The legal agreement signed during their 2014 divorce contained specific travel restrictions for the child, which were set to relax when he turned 12 to make long trips to Spain easier. As Nico grew older, his desire to move to Spain intensified, fueled in part by friction during his teenage years. People familiar with the family dynamic explained that normal adolescent tension was heightened by Rubio's strong personality and ongoing conflict between the former couple.
Vallejo-Nagera had proposed that after spending 15 years living in Miami to remain near his son, Rubio should make a similar effort by traveling to Spain so the teenager could live there without altering the shared custody model. With the Miami judge denying the relocation request, Vallejo-Nagera will continue splitting his time between Spain and the United States until Nico reaches 18 and gains the legal right to decide his own place of residence.
