Spice Girls Star Mel B Faces Off With Ex-husband Stephen Belafonte in Court As They Fight Over 11-year-old Daughter
July 11 2023, Published 12:00 p.m. ET
Mel B’s ex-husband scored a small victory in their never-ending divorce war, but the battle is far from over, RadarOnline.com has learned.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, earlier this week, Mel and her ex, Stephen Belafonte, both appeared via Zoom for a hearing before a Los Angeles Superior Court judge.
The judge granted a motion brought by Stephen asking to move their 11-year-old daughter Madison to Florida. The child currently lives with Stephen in LA.
Stephen has had most of the custody ever since Mel had to move back to the UK after her work visa expired in 2019. Mel’s ex said he needed to move for work opportunities.
The Spice Girls star opposed the move and argued Madison should move to the UK to live with her and her sisters. Mel said, “Madison’s sisters, Angel and Phoenix, relocated with me to the U.K. where we live minutes from nearly all of our friends and family. Moving to the U.K. without Madison was devastating for the girls and me.
She added, “The three girls have always had a very close relationship and enjoy spending time together. Madison would thrive socially, emotionally, and academically if she were permitted to live with me and her sisters in the U.K. during the school year.”
Stephen objected to the request claiming Mel had been acting erratic for months. The singer denied the claims and then accused her ex-husband of abusing the prescription drug Adderall. Stephen denied the accusation.
Mel said she planned to call Stephen’s ex-client Malu Trevejo to testify in the case. The star said Malu was the one who told her about Stephen’s behavior.
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Earlier this year, Malu sued Stephen accusing him of signing her to a one-sided artist agreement and misappropriating funds. He denied all claims of wrongdoing and accused her of making the allegations to deflect from a lawsuit she’s facing from her ex-employees.
In court documents, she said she was “concerned” about Stephen’s ability to parent and believed Madison would have a better home in the UK.
At the recent hearing, the judge set a court date in August where Mel and Stephen will appear to fight over the proposed move.
