Woman is suing De La Hoya

A New York woman who claims to have taken compromising photos of Oscar De La Hoya during an alleged affair that lasted more than one year filed a $100-million lawsuit against the boxer Thursday, claiming fraud, defamation and infliction of emotional distress.

Milana Dravnel, a 22-year-old model, claims in her 13-page lawsuit that De La Hoya’s attorney, Stephen Espinoza, made false representations in persuading her to recant the legitimacy of photographs that showed De La Hoya embracing Dravnel, and also wearing women’s undergarments.

Dravnel agreed to recant previous statements about the photos and her relationship with De La Hoya, and to not sell any other photographs. Violating the agreement would allow De La Hoya to recoup “liquidated damages,” according to the lawsuit.

Dravnel’s “image has been tarnished, and [she] was portrayed as a liar to the press,” Dravnel’s attorney, Salvatore Strazzullo, wrote in the lawsuit, filed in New York County.

A spokesman for De La Hoya said, “The lawsuit is totally without merit and the matter has been turned over to Mr. De La Hoya’s counsel.”

Strazzullo told The Times that Dravnel was De La Hoya’s mistress from January 2006 until May of this year. Strazzullo said De La Hoya ended the relationship with Dravnel because “he’s a married man who’s regarded very highly, with this perfect image.” Strazzullo claims De La Hoya became concerned because Dravnel took photos of him in women’s dress during a May 17 visit to the Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia.

Dravnel sold the photos in September to a website for $70,000, the attorney said.

The lawsuit claims Dravnel was “forced to recant” to the New York Daily News after being told by Espinoza that FBI detectives “were interested in speaking” with her, the lawsuit said. She received no “consideration” for her “one-sided” agreement with De La Hoya’s attorney, the lawsuit said.

lance.pugmire@latimes.com