Mel fee
Star ordered to pay ex’s $350,000 legal costs in custody fight
MEL B has been ordered to pay $350,000 of Stephen Belafonte’s legal costs as they finally settled their bitter divorce battle.
As well as the bill, equivalent to £270,000, the hard-up ex-Spice Girl must hand Belafonte £3,760 a month in child support for their six-year-old daughter Madison, a Los Angeles judge ruled. Producer and restaurateur Belafonte, 43, said he was “ecstatic” at the decision, adding his name had been “dragged through the mud” but he was now “going to Disneyworld”. He and Mel dropped restraining orders against each other – but agreed to stay 200 yards apart. And they must set aside £423,000 each when they sell their £6.2million former marital home, to pay taxes owed for 2016. Both can now move on after months of fighting. Leeds-born Mel, 43, accused Belafonte in legal documents of beating her and forcing her into filmed threesomes, then threatening to blackmail her with the footage.
She also accused him of getting their nanny, Lorraine Gilles, pregnant. Belafonte denied all accusations.
After the hearing, he said: “Why did she settle? She didn’t get anything out of this. We split everything 50/50. In fact, my alimony and child support is more then I asked for. I was dragged through the mud but she didn’t show her evidence. I’m ecstatic. “I’m going to Disneyworld. I got everything I wanted and we could have settled this months ago. “It’s such a relief that it’s finally over.” Belafonte said he was “disappointed” his request for step visitation with Angel, Mel’s daughter by actor Eddie Murphy, was not part of the agreement. Mel, real name Melanie Brown, opposes him seeing the 10-year-old, whom he helped to raise from birth.
They share custody of Madison and Mel also has daughter Phoenix Chi, 19, by dancer Jimmy Gulzar.
During the proceedings, Los Angeles Superior Court was told Mel had blown her fortune on an “extravagant” lifestyle.
It heard she and Belafonte both have outstanding tax debts after making “improvident” lifestyle choices.
Each party has until September 12 to ask for any alterations before the divorce is signed off.