Tyrese has been ordered to pay his ex-wife, Samantha Lee Gibson, nearly $650,000 by a judge he publicly called out for being “r@cist.”
The 44-year-old singer and actor during a hearing at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta on Tuesday, was also ordered to pay almost $400,000 to her attorneys, according to a report by TMZ.
The report noted that he was held in contempt of court for failing to pay the $10,000 a month in child support he was ordered to cough up last August. Tyrese argued on the stand that the monthly amount is excessive as Lee allegedly earns a substantial income on her own.
The Alter Ego singer’s protest fell flat, though, as he was ultimately ordered by Judge Kevin Farmer to fork out $237,944 in back child support payments to his ex-wife — with whom he shares a four-year-old daughter named Soraya — and $399,000 for Samantha’s attorney fees.
The judge acknowledged that Tyrese has been paying child support all this time, albeit a significantly smaller sum of $2,236 per month. The $237,000 represents the monthly difference he owes, plus interest. Tyrese was also told to foot a $17,000 bill for the special master in the case, a “subordinate official appointed by a judge to ensure judicial orders are followed.”
The actor/singer has until May 15 to pay roughly $258,000 of the amount owed. Following the hearing, Tyrese issued a statement to The Shade Room disputing the judge’s ruling, citing the nearly $150,000 a year his ex-wife allegedly earns.
“Everything will be appealed. My attorney, Tanya Mitchell Graham, stated that at least 30 things beyond the scope of the law was mishandled and flat-out egregious and illegal,” he said. He added: “The family law court system really sucks. It’s all a process we will appeal.”
