Hollywood star Eddie Murphy is ‘not interested’ in seeing his 10 year-old daughter Angel, the child he has with America’s Got Talent star Mel B, a Los Angeles court was told Wednesday.
The Spice Girl’s ex husband Stephen Belafonte – who helped raise Angel during his 10 year marriage to Mel – is trying to persuade a judge to grant him step-parent visitation with the child, whom, he says, ‘has called me dad since she started to talk.’
Mel, 42 – who showed up at LA Superior Court today wearing a green silk shirt, flowered pants, yellow spike heels and a new frizzy hairdo – is vehemently opposing his efforts, refusing to let him see her daughter.
But Belafonte’s lawyer, Grace Jamra, said that she had been trying to reach Murphy, Angel’s biological dad, to discuss Belafonte’s step parent request to no avail.
Mel B was in court Wednesday (pictured) against her ex husband Stephen Belafonte who is seeking step-parents rights to see the Angel, 10, who is Eddie Murphy’s daughter with Mel
Eddie Murphy said he has never had a relationship with Angel (right with Mel) and is simply not interested in beginning one now
Belafonte (pictured outside court Wednesday) says Angel has called him dad since she has been able to speak and he raised her as his own, and Mel has cut contact
Belafonte left court all smiles, while Mel B seemed somber as she walked out of court Wednesday
Jamra said she was told by his lawyers that Murphy is simply ‘not interested.’
‘Mr Murphy has had no contact with the child,’ she told the court.
Jamra added that she had tried to serve Murphy with legal papers, but, ‘Mr. Murphy is avoiding service.’
As part of their divorce settlement, Mel – real name Melanie Brown – and Belafonte were to split the proceeds of their former marital home in LA, worth an estimated $6-7 million.
Belafonte – who also showed up Wednesday, wearing a dark suit – has complained to the court that his ex wife has been dragging her feet in paying her share of the $20,000 needed to repair the home and get it in shape to sell.
Judge Mark Juhas ordered Mel to pay $10,000 to match the $10,000 Belafonte has already shelled out toward the house repairs
Belafonte and Mel divorced last December after a bitter, seven month battle in which lurid tales of kinky sex, drug and alcohol abuse and allegations of domestic violence made headlines.
He was given joint custody of his daughter with Mel, six-year-old Madison, and he went back to court to try to win step-parent rights to visit Angel.
But Mel has consistently blocked his efforts to spend time with Angel, calling him in court papers a ‘bad man’ accusing him of being violent and abusive during their 10-year marriage.
Last week she even charged in a new court filing, that he had made Mel’s daughters, including his six-year-old, Madison, watch videos of ISIS beheadings.
Belafonte, 42, filed his own court response with a strong denial, calling Mel’s accusation ‘outlandish and alarming’ and adding: ‘I have never and would never show ISIS videos to our children.’
Belafonte – who claims that Mel has been violating his joint custody of Madison (he gets her on Wednesday nights and alternate weekends) – says Brown refuses to let him see Angel.
‘I strongly believe that Brown’s abrupt decision to cut off all ties between Angel and I has been emotionally traumatizing and detrimental to Angel’s mental health and well being,’ he added in legal papers.
Belafonte says that he gave his daughter Madison a teddy bear and other toys to give to Angel.
Eddie, who has been in a relationship with Paige Butcher (pictured) since 2012, has said he does not want to have a relationship with his 10-year-old daughter Angel
Happier times: Mel B and husband Stephen Belafonte attend the Lacoste VIP Lounge on day six of the ATP World Finals 2014 at 02 Arena on November 14, 2014
But ‘Madison later informed me that Brown threw out the toys before they could even get to Angel.
The couple’s marriage fell apart in March last year when Brown filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences, and she took out a domestic violence restraining order against Belafonte, accusing him of years of abuse against her, embezzling $10 million of her money and keeping her drugged during much of their marriage.
She also took out a civil harassment restraining order against the couple’s beautiful blonde nanny Lorraine Gilles whom she branded a ‘home wrecker’ and ‘prostitute’ she claimed had an affair with Belafonte and conspired with him against her by threatening to release embarrassing sex videos of Mel.
Over the following seven months intimate details were revealed about the couple’s sex life during their marriage, including three-ways with German-born Gilles who claimed to have had a seven-year sexual relationship with the British singer.
Belafonte who accused his estranged wife of being addicted to cocaine and alcohol during their marriage – and Gilles, 26 – repeatedly denied Mel’s charges against them and fought the restraining orders through 20-plus court hearings till, at last, the case was set to go to trial in November 2017. It was halted at the last minute after the former couple came to a private settlement.
The divorce became final last December 15 with Mel agreeing to pay Belafonte $15,000 a month in spousal support until December 2020.
When Judge Juhas set May 29 as the date of a settlement conference where the former couple can try to reach an agreement, Mel showed the frostiness she still has toward Belafonte by asking the judge, ‘Do I have to be in the same room as him, like a small room?’ When the judge told her that the settlement conference would be in a large courtroom, she looked relieved and said, ‘That’s OK’.
Judge Juhas also ordered Mel to give a three-hour deposition to Belafonte’s lawyers on April 23.