The judge in Tyrese Gibson’s child support case threw the book at him in court on Tuesday, April 25.
Tyrese is in an ongoing child support battle with ex-wife Samantha Lee Gibson. Last year, he refused to pay $10,000 a month in child support for his 4-year-old daughter, Soraya.
In videos and Instagram posts, the singer/actor called Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kevin M. Farmer a “racist” and said he was unfair to Black fathers going through divorce.
According to TMZ, Judge Farmer ordered Tyrese to pay nearly $237,944 in back child support to his ex-wife, and almost $400,000 in legal fees to her attorney.
As for Tyrese refusing to pay child support since last year — the judge found him in contempt of court. He could’ve been arrested in court, but the judge gave him a break.
In addition to the back child support and attorney’s fees, the judge ordered Tyrese to pay $17,000 for a special master appointed by the judge to handle minor disputes during the case.
Tyrese said on the stand on Tuesday that he believed the $10,000 monthly child support was excessive and that Samantha doesn’t need the money, because she earns good money on her own.
But the judge disagreed — and now Tyrese must pay his monthly child support debt or face jail time.
In the days leading up to his courtroom showdown, Tyrese invited his fans, fathers, and the news media to join him at a “prayer protest” on Tuesday.
But the prayer protest was shut down before it could begin.
Samantha’s attorney Adam Gleklen tells TMZ that all she wants to do is co-parent their daughter and get on with her life.
