Tyrese Gibson is unhappy with how his divorce proceedings unfolded last month with ex-wife Samantha Lee Gibson, and is requesting that a new judge be assigned to his case.
This comes after the 43-year-old Hollywood star was ordered to pay over $10,000 per month in child support for the former couple’s 3-year-old daughter, Soraya, after a series of heated courtroom hearings in Fulton County Superior Court in Georgia in August 2022. According to court documents obtained by ET Online! Gibson later filed a petition seeking the removal of Judge Kevin M. Farmer.
Tanya Mitchell Graham and Shantanece L. Ellis, attorneys for the “Baby Boy” star, claimed that during a pre-trial hearing in his chambers, Judge Farmer “stated that he already has reviewed the financial evidence in the case” and that the $10,690 tab was “an appropriate amount” for the actor to pay. Gibson and his lawyer alleged that Judge Farmer had already reached his decision before hearing anything presented in court.
The “2 Fast 2 Furious” actor is also claiming in his motion that Farmer showed bias, citing his Aug. 29 testimony stating that “he has a CPA to manage his finances, and that he did not know anything about his finances, Judge Farmer stated from the bench that self-employed people manipulate their taxes suggesting that [Tyrese] did not properly report his taxes.”
The report continued, “When counsel for [Tyrese] stated that [Tyrese] would have his CPA fly in from California for the second day of trial, Judge Farmer would not allow it and just walked off the bench.”
The actor’s Aug. 30 court date proved even more challenging, with video of the court hearing showing Gibson repeatedly being interrupted by Farmer while testifying. In the clip, you hear the judge call for a break after the “Black and Blue” star attempts to get some clarification regarding his earnings. “If you do it again, I’m going to hold you in contempt,” Farmer tells Gibson. “You don’t ask me questions. That’s not how this works,” he added, before walking off.
Elsewhere, the report mentioned an incident “During the second conference in chambers [on Aug. 30], Judge Farmer yelled at opposing counsel using an expletive. Judge Farmer then told counsel for [Tyrese] that if [he] did not behave, he would leave the courtroom in handcuffs.”
Tyrese and Samantha tied the knot in 2017, but called it quits in December 2020. The actor seemingly has since reconciled with his ex-girlfriend Zelie Timothy.
