Tyrese Gibson Files For Another Judge In Divorce Proceedings

Tyrese Gibson seems fed up with the present judge handling his divorce case with his ex-wife, Samantha Lee Gibson, so he is seeking a new one.

The multi-faceted artist was once married to Norma Mitchell from 2007 to 2009, and later, in 2017, he wedded Samantha Lee. However, that did not last so long as they announced their divorce in 2020. Given the current situation surrounding the estranged couple's divorce, ET reported that Tyrese has multiple reasons for his displeasure with the magistrate, leading him to file a petition in a Georgia court recently.

In late August, the "Baby Boy" actor was ordered to pay $10,690 monthly in child support for the exes' three-year-old daughter, Soraya, but he found the directive unfair as he believed the judge was biased. This led to a heated exchange during two courtroom hearings, and ultimately, Tyrese petitioned in Fulton County Superior Court in Georgia, requesting the recusal of Judge Kevin M. Farmer.

Based on the court proceedings obtained by the outlet, he listed a couple of reasons he believed Judge Farmer was partial against him amid the trials. Moving for recusal, the "Fast & Furious" star's lawyers claimed that during a pre-trial hearing in Judge Farmer's chambers, he "stated that he already has reviewed the financial evidence in the case."

The judge also allegedly maintained that $10,690 was "an appropriate amount" for the movie star to pay. This implied that he had already concluded on the subject prior to hearing what would be presented in the court. Meanwhile, Tyrese believed there were several moments during the hearing when Judge Farmer displayed unfairness, including the August 29 and 30 incidents.

His motion claimed that on August 29, when he testified that "he has CPA to manage his finances, and that he did not know anything about his finances," Judge Farmer stated that self-employed people manipulate their taxes. This suggested that the judge believed Tyrese "did not properly report his taxes," and he did not permit the actor to have his CPA fly in from California for the second day of trial.

On August 30, when the Grammy nominee took the stand, he was constantly interrupted by Judge Farmer while testifying. His motion alleged that the magistrate "said that counsel for [Tyrese] needed to 'put a foot on her client's neck.'" Additionally, the petition claimed, "During the second conference in chambers [on Aug. 30], Judge Farmer yelled at opposing counsel using an expletive." It continued:

"Judge Farmer then told counsel for [Tyrese] that if [he did not behave, he would leave the courtroom in handcuffs."

In conclusion, the motion alleged that due to the "unprofessionalism" of the judge, the 43-year-old was not able to "get a fair trial in this case." Furthermore, his attorneys, Tanya Mitchell Graham and Shantanece L. Ellis, supported his motion by submitting affidavits presenting written narratives of what they witnessed in court.

Last September, amid the divorce proceedings, The Blast reported that while Tyrese was ordered to pay $10,690 for child support, it was backdated to September 2020, implying that he owed a little over $200,000.

The fee eventually got reduced to $169,000 after it was revealed that he had been paying Samantha Lee's car expenses for two years since the separation. As for their daughter's welfare, the parents were ordered to equally pay for any additional costs for her education, while Tyrese was to maintain a $1.9 million life insurance policy with her as the beneficiary.

Earlier in 2017, after they tied the knot in a secret wedding on Valentine's day, TMZ shared some inside information about Samantha Lee. She was reported to be well-to-do with lots of money to her name. In addition, she got a Masters' degree in social work at the University of Georgia.

Using her education for great things, she handled severe cases like battling sex and human trafficking as well as counseling for convicts. Samantha Lee, described as an "accomplished and well-paid" woman, also worked on proceedings for the Division of Family and Children Services in Georgia.

Regarding the separated pair's initial meeting, they connected through mutual friends after Tyrese released an open letter in 2015 to his "wife of the future." That ultimately led to their marriage.