Jennifer Lopez is being sued by her first husband Ojani Noa who claims the Latina singer forced him to quit his job to run her California restaurant but sacked him six months later despite his success.

The "Jenny From The Block" star, who married Noa in 1997 but left him a year later, will appear in court in October to deny her ex-husband's unfair dismissal lawsuit, celebrity portal Femalefirst reported.

Noa says he was grateful Lopez offered him a managerial job at Madres restaurant in Pasadena despite the fact they had started divorce proceedings. But he was horrified when she ignored the staggering profits he had made at the eatery and fired him.

He said: "They called me into the office and said, 'We decided to let you go.' I was shocked."