Mel B’s ex-husband Stephen Belafonte filed a $5 million defamation lawsuit against the Spice Girls singer in a Florida court on her birthday, Wednesday, May 29.
According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, Belafonte is accusing his former spouse of creating a “deliberate and wide-ranging campaign to cause him severe emotional distress and destroy his reputation” in the years since their 2017 split. (Page Six was first to report the news.)
Mel B (real name Melanie Brown) filed for divorce from Belafonte in March 2017 after nearly 10 years of marriage. One month later, she was granted a temporary restraining order against him after claiming he was abusive. (He has denied the abuse allegations.)
In Belafonte’s new lawsuit, he claims that although Mel B “dismissed” her allegations before “his day in court,” the “damage” had already been done to his character.
Related: Spice Girls: Where Are They Now?
“As a result of Ms. Brown’s false allegations of rape, illegal gun possession, sex trafficking, production of illegal p*rnography, domestic battery and child endangerment, Mr. Belafonte lost access to his home and children,” his court docs state, also claiming Mel B referred to Belfonte as a “monster” and “abuser.”
The two reached a partial divorce settlement in November 2017 before fully finalizing their split the following August. In the aftermath of the settlement, Belafonte was granted primary custody of their now 12-year-old daughter, Madison, whom Belafonte claims Mel B has only visited once since then in his lawsuit. (Mel B also shares daughters Phoenix, 25, with her ex-husband, Jimmy Gulzar, and Angel, 17, with ex Eddie Murphy.)
Among the lawsuit’s many allegations, Belfonte also accused the former America’s Got Talent judge of using her charity work with the Women’s Aid abuse organization to “further sales, celebrity and opportunity,” citing alleged texts between her fellow Spice Girls member Geri Halliwell as evidence. (Belafonte reportedly plans to donate any winnings.)
“Charity doesn’t pay the bills,” Mel B allegedly wrote to Halliwell, 51, who replied, “I hope nobody ever hacks your texts!!!!! I believe we should do something good and kicking off with a charity gig would be hugely positive. The power of our brand is enormous and all of our work is off the back of it including Vikki [Victoria Beckham]!!!!!!”
Additionally, Belafonte claims that Mel B’s “serious substance abuse problem, which included the abuse of cocaine, alcohol and prescription drugs” hurt their marriage. Mel B underwent drug testing amid the exes’ custody hearings in September 2018, after which the Los Angeles County Superior Court declared that she was a “habitual [and] frequent” drug abuser.
“Melanie is willing to do whatever it takes to provide proof to the court that she is a stable person,” Gary Madatyan, a spokesperson for the pop star, exclusively told Usin September 2018. “She was ordered to take one test a week, but Melanie wanted to do more, and offered to do it twice a week. Melanie will be drug tested twice a week.”
Related: Hollywood's Ugliest Divorces: From Johnny and Amber to Erika and Tom
Mel B has not publicly addressed Belafonte’s lawsuit. Us has reached out to reps for Mel B and Halliwell for comment.
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Mel B, who has since moved on with fiancé Rory McPhee, has maintained her abuse claims over the years, even detailing a suicide attempt during her and Belafonte’s marriage in her 2018 memoir, Brutally Honest.
“I realized what I did, and I’m like, ‘You know what? No, I want to live,” she recalled of the moment she purposefully swallowed several pills during a March interview on The Drew Barrymore Show. “So I told [Stephen], ‘Look, I’ve done something really silly,’ and he said, ‘So?’”
If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
