Mel B Ordered To Pay Stephen Belafonte 40K A Month Spousal Support – The Details
July 15 2017, Published 7:38 p.m. ET
Mel B has been ordered to pay a massive $40,000 a month in spousal support to estranged husband Stephen Belafonte, RadarOnline.com can reveal
The huge payment demand was ordered by a judge in Los Angeles on Friday at the city's Superior Court.
The judge granted film producer Belafonte's request for emergency support to cover basic amenities including food, housing and phone bills.
To make matters worse Mel B must also hand over $140,000 in legal fees to her ex as part of their divorce battle.
Judge Lawrence P Riff made the order against the former British pop star.
The judge did however decline to slap an order on Mel B requiring her to desist from interfering in the listing and sale of the couple's $8.9 million Hollywood Hills home.
Belafonte, 42, who is banned from the home under terms of a temporary restraining order against him, had accused his wife of preventing real estate agents from being able to show the property.
Mel B, also 42, had opposed all of her husband's requests for relief and seeks her own, asking the court to give Belafonte a Gavron warning – demanding he becomes self supporting.
Judge Riff wrote: "The Court has considered carefully Brown's allegations... that she suffered serious, debilitating abuse at the hands of Belafonte resulting in bodily injury and profound emotional distress."
But he added that Belafonte had also entered a sworn declaration 'categorically and emphatically' denying all such allegations.
In conclusion he wrote: "The competing user-oath allegations and denials' do not constitute documented evidence - Belafonte's request for temporary Spousal Support is granted."
The judge also blasted the couple for the crazy amounts they had both claimed in monthly expenses.
He pointed out Mel B's claim of $20,000 in 'child care' which came with no further explanation, her $5,000 a month claim for 'groceries and household supplies' for a family of four (excluding Belafonte) on top of $4,493 a month for 'eating out' and $1,313 a month for 'movies, shows, theme parks, etc.'
The judge wrote: 'The Court does not find these expenses credible or reasonable.'
He also says Belafonte's claims of $2,300 for 'groceries and household supplies', $750 for 'telephone, cell phone and email,' $2,000 for clothes, $3,000 for 'entertainment, gifts and vacation' were also not 'credible or reasonable'.
Belafonte had requested as much as $255,000 in legal fees and costs, but the judge decided on the lower amount of $140,000 - divided into $100,000 for legal costs and $40,000 for forensic accounting fees, to be paid in two installments of $70,000.
His temporary spousal support will stay in place until a 'evidentiary hearing' regarding the allegations of domestic violence and abuse in September.
The singer and America's Got Talent judge filed for divorce in March after 10 years of marriage and asked for joint legal and physical custody of their five-year-old daughter, Madison.
We pay for juicy info! Do you have a story for RadarOnline.com? Email us at tips@radaronline.com, or call us at (866) ON-RADAR (667-2327) any time, day or night.