Reality show star and actress Gloria Govan has been ordered to pay legal fees of almost $200,000, according to court documents retrieved by RadarOnline.
Govan, a fixture on VH1’s “Basketball Wives” franchise from 2010 to 2016, was recently ordered by the Los Angeles Superior Court to pay $197,774 to the lawyers who represented her in the divorce proceedings against retired NBA player Matt Barnes.
Barnes played for various NBA teams for 14 years before retiring in 2017. He hosts “All the Smoke” podcast with fellow retired NBA player Stephen Jackson. Govan is currently married to Barnes’ former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Derek Fisher, who also is a retired NBA player.
Barnes and Govan were in a relationship since 2006. In 2008, she gave birth to their twin boys, and they married in 2013. However, the couple separated in 2015, with Govan hiring the law firm Brot, Gross & Fishbein to represent her in the divorce proceedings. Their divorce was finalized in 2016. However, after sending a series of unpaid invoices, the firm filed a lawsuit against Govan. Initially, the firm requested $250,000 for the debt and legal fees. The court, however, awarded the firm $187,000 and another $10,000 in legal fees.
A Less Than Amicable Relationship
Govan’s relationship with Barnes was often characterized by conflict.
Most recently, Barnes was ordered by a Los Angeles court to pay Govan $133,976 in child support arrears, according to reporting this week from TMZ.
In 2018, Barnes’ child support was reduced from $20,000 a month to $7600 following his retirement. At the time, the Govan and Barnes had a custody agreement. However, in the Fall of 2018, Barnes was awarded sole physical and legal custody of their sons as well as an 18-month restraining order against Govan. This order came after Govan was arrested in an incident involving the assault of Barnes and child endangerment.
While no charges were filed against Govan, a restraining order mandated that Govan remain at least 100 yards away from their sons. In addition, she could only see the children for four hours per week with supervised visitation.
