Famous actor Tyrese Gibson was held in contempt of court, Tuesday, after refusing to pay the full value of the court-ordered child support payments to his ex-wife, Samantha Lee Gibson.
In August, the Fulton County court ordered Gibson to pay $10,000 a month in child support to Lee, but he refused and instead has been paying just $2,236 a month, TMZ reported. He also alleged on Instagram that Judge Kevin Farmer, who is handling the case, is a “racist” and called on civil rights attorney Ben Crump and Martin Luther King III to support him in court, according to TMZ.
Gibson took the stand Tuesday and testified that he felt $10,000 a month was excessive. The “Transformers” star also claimed that Samantha is “making well over $100,000 a year outside of what I make per year, and the necessary needs of the actual child are beyond met,” according to court video obtained by TMZ.
The judge fired back at the actor for failing to pay the amount he was ordered to pay, and held him in contempt of court.
Judge Kevin Farmer reserved the right to arrest the “Fast and Furious” actor, but opted not to, according to TMZ. He was ordered to pay a total of $237,944 in back child support for their child named Soraya, as well as $399,000 for Samantha’s attorney fees. Gibson was also ordered to pay $17,000 for the aid of a special master, according to TMZ.
The actor challenged Judge Farmer during a prior court appearance, and (RELATED: Ed Sheeran Appears In Court To Dispute Allegations Of Copying Marvin Gaye Song)
The judge ordered Gibson to pay $258,000 of the money he owes by May 15.
Gibson’s attorney, Tanya Mitchell Graham, said she will be filing an appeal and has also filed a motion for a new trial, which will be heard next month, according to TMZ.