Melanie Brown of Spice Girls fame claims she can’t afford to pay the $500,000 (all figures U.S.) she currently owes ex-husband Stephen Belafonte.
“I will effectively be insolvent and will in all likelihood have to file for bankruptcy,” the 45-year-old singer revealed in a filing with the Los Angeles Superior Court. “I simply do not have the ability to pay such an exorbitant sum.”
According to documents obtained by The Daily Mail, Brown wants a judge to lower the $400,000 in legal fees and $100,000 in accounting fees she was ordered to pay Belafonte on Sept. 18. The couple finalized their divorce nearly three years ago.
Best known as Scary Spice, the pop star claimed she is unable to find work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While I hope to find employment opportunities for 2021, I anticipate that it will be difficult to find work as an entertainer in these unprecedented times,” she wrote. “I am informed and believe that there will not be any events or concerts in 2021. Therefore, I have no idea how long it will be before I can work and the businesses can earn any significant further income.”
Brown owes the U.S. Internal Revenue Service $2.5 million. She also pays Belafonte $15,000 a month in spousal support and $7,300 a month in child support for their nine-year-old daughter Madison. She also supports 13-year-old Angel, her daughter with Eddie Murphy.
She claimed her business partner refused to sign off on a $600,000 loan.
Brown is allegedly so cash-strapped that she claims she has given up on a legal appeal to move Madison to England. “I am not financially able,” she declared.
In a separate court filing, Brown’s lawyer alleged “she is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.”
A hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 11, 2021.