Stephen Belafonte, ex-husband of Spice Girl Mel B, has filed a $5 million defamation lawsuit against her. The claim was lodged on Wednesday, May 29, Mel B’s birthday, in a Florida court.
According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, Belafonte accuses Mel B, whose full name is Melanie Brown, of orchestrating a “deliberate and wide-ranging campaign to cause him severe emotional distress and destroy his reputation” since their 2017 separation.
Mel B filed for divorce from Belafonte in March 2017 after nearly a decade of marriage. A month later, she was granted a temporary restraining order against him, alleging abuse, which Belafonte has consistently denied.
In his lawsuit, Belafonte asserts that despite Mel B “dismissing” her allegations before he could have “his day in court,” the accusations severely damaged his reputation. The court documents state, “As a result of Ms. Brown’s false allegations of rape, illegal gun possession, sex trafficking, production of illegal pornography, domestic battery, and child endangerment, Mr. Belafonte lost access to his home and children.”
The couple reached a partial divorce settlement in November 2017 and finalized their divorce in August 2018. Following the settlement, Belafonte was granted primary custody of their now 12-year-old daughter, Madison. He claims Mel B has only visited Madison once since the custody arrangement.
Mel B also has two other daughters: Phoenix, 25, with ex-husband Jimmy Gulzar, and Angel, 17, with ex Eddie Murphy. She is currently engaged to hairdresser Rory McPhee.
