In November 2017, rapper and actor Tyrese Gibson found himself in hot water when he was ordered to pay $650,000 to his ex-wife, Norma Mitchell, and her legal team. This sum of money was awarded to Mitchell and her attorneys due to legal fees incurred during their child custody battle.
Mitchell had initially filed for a restraining order against Gibson, which he challenged in court. This resulted in a lengthy legal battle, with Gibson paying over $100,000 in legal fees before the full custody hearings for his 10-year-old daughter. However, Gibson’s initial legal battle was unsuccessful, and Mitchell was granted protection against Gibson for her and her daughter.
Following this, the two parties then appeared in court for the custody hearings over their daughter, which saw Mitchell fighting to strip the actor of his visitation rights. This lengthy and emotional saga saw Gibson lose custody of his daughter despite the intervention of several of his celebrity friends, including Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith.
During the custody battle, Gibson took to social media to detail his challenges with the legal system and to give a public voice to his experience. Many supported Gibson in this fight, calling the custody battle an instance of father’s rights being overlooked by the legal system. Gibson himself maintained that the decision to take his daughter away from him was wrongfully informed, and that his daughter had been coached and manipulated by his ex-wife.
Despite the widespread support on social media for Gibson, the court ultimately ruled that Mitchell was to be awarded full custody of their daughter, with Gibson being allowed limited monitored visitation. The court order also mandated that Gibson pay Mitchell’s legal fees of $350,000, as well as an additional $300,000 towards her attorney's fees.
The case of Tyrese Gibson highlights the legal difficulties and financial consequences that some fathers can face when fighting for custody of their children. It also highlights the need for clear guidelines in custody hearings that put the best interests of the child first and apply a gender-blind approach to decision-making about parenting and custody. It remains to be seen if cases like this will spark a bigger conversation about how fathers seeking custody can navigate the legal system more effectively.
I did not follow the Tyrese custody trial at all... So I don't know the facts. But I can only imagine the emotional anguish when you have to pay $650, 000 to a bunch of lawyers who are only there to falsely accuse you. That kind of scenario is beyond absurd. And I'm sure that if he was found innocent on all allegations that he would never get any of that money back.
I did not follow the Tyrese custody trial at all... So I don't know the facts. But I can only imagine the emotional anguish when you have to pay $650, 000 to a bunch of lawyers who are only there to falsely accuse you. That kind of scenario is beyond absurd. And I'm sure that if he was found innocent on all allegations that he would never get any of that money back.