The legal battle between Tyrese Gibson and his ex-wife Samantha Lee continues to intensify. Samantha has filed a motion to dismiss Tyrese’s lawsuit that seeks to lower his monthly child support payments, claiming the actor and singer still owes her more than $111,000 in back support for their 5-year-old daughter, Soraya.
Samantha was awarded primary custody of Soraya in 2023, and the court ordered Tyrese to pay $10,690 a month in child support. According to court documents obtained by In Touch, Tyrese failed to keep up with those payments and was even briefly jailed last year until he made a payment.
In her motion, filed on April 14, Samantha opposed Tyrese’s attempt to reduce the payments, stating that his appeal of the child support order to the Georgia Supreme Court removes jurisdiction from the lower court. She argued that the matter is now out of the trial court’s hands and should not be reconsidered until the higher court makes a ruling.
Samantha also laid out a pattern of non-payment, saying Tyrese has only paid the full monthly amount three times and has been held in willful contempt by Fulton County Court on three separate occasions. She noted that he was arrested and jailed last year for failing to comply with the court’s order.
As of February 14, Samantha claimed Tyrese owes her $111,955 in unpaid child support.
Her legal team has asked the judge to throw out Tyrese’s lawsuit entirely, pointing to his failure to pay as ordered and the ongoing appeal. A decision on the motion to dismiss has not yet been made.
The case highlights a drawn-out and contentious custody and financial dispute, with Tyrese seeking relief from a child support obligation he argues doesn’t align with their premarital agreement, while Samantha insists he hasn’t lived up to his current responsibilities.