Getty Images
Mel B’s Lawyer Claims She Was “Drugged” Throughout Her Marriage to Stephen Belafonte
Yikes — things keep getting uglier between Mel B and her soon-to-be ex-husband Stephen Belafonte!
According to People, Mel’s lawyer claimed on Wednesday, Oct. 25, that Stephen “drugged” her throughout the majority of their marriage. “Miss Brown now takes the position she was drugged by Mr. Belafonte throughout the course of the marriage,” attorney Philip Cohen said in LA Superior Court.
Back in August, TMZ reported that the former Spice Girl was ordered by a judge to pay Stephen — whom she married in 2007 but has been estranged from since December 2016 — spousal support.
Stephen, a 42-year-old film producer, filed for “emergency spousal support,” claiming that he needed help paying for everyday necessities like food and housing. (Not to mention his phone bill.) A judge ordered Mel, 42, to pay her ex $40,000 a month to cover these costs, citing it as temporary spousal support.
The America’s Got Talent judge is also responsible for a one-time payment of $140,000 to cover Stephen’s attorney and forensic costs.
Mel separated from her husband in December 2016 and filed for divorce in April 2017, making claims of alleged infidelity and abuse. She was granted a temporary restraining order in April, after claiming Stephen cheated on her with their nanny. The couple has a five-year-old daughter named Madison together and Mel is also the mom of 18-year-old Phoenix and 10-year-old Angel from previous relationships.
The songstress alleged that her husband stalked her and made verbal threats against her, which caused her to worry about her own safety as well as the safety of her three children. “I am in fear of my safety and I am in fear of being irreparably harmed as a result of [Belafonte’s] threats,” she wrote in a court statement back in April. “I fear [he] will carry out his threats against me which will collaterally harm the children.”
Mel B appeared on X-Factor with visible bruises, prompting fans and her co-stars alike to worry.
In the past, Mel has come clean about the alleged abuse, stating that she eventually realized a correlation between her success and Stephen’s alleged beatings.
“I would come to realize that [his] beatings and abuse would coincide with my career success,” she has said. “When something good would happen for me, he would beat me down to let me know that he was in charge.” The couple married in Las Vegas in 2007 after only weeks of dating.
