Gloria Govan is learning the hard way that lawyers can be expensive — especially if you don’t pay your legal fees.
Govan still owes the law firm that represented her divorce lawsuit against ex-husband Matt Barnes, and things are getting worse for her as the firm attempts to confiscate her assets in an ongoing dispute.
Former representatives for Govan filed a lawsuit against the ex-wife of former NBA champion Barnes. She is currently married to five-time Lakers champ Derek Fisher, a former teammate of Barnes when they both played for the Los Angeles Lakers. Barnes was married to Govan from 2013 to 2016. Govan, 38, met Barnes, 43, back when she was in eighth grade. They began dating in 2006. She later married Fisher in 2021.
Divorce Drama
When Barnes and his former “Basketball Wives” star wife completed their divorce in 2016, Govan did not pay thousands to Brot, Gross & Fishbein, RadarOnline revealed in January.
The lawsuit was filed in California, where she is a Bay-area native, and Nevada, where she and Fisher reside in Las Vegas.
In January, the firm was granted a default judgment against Govan in the amount of $197,774.62. The firm said Govan has yet to pay, and the debt continues to grow.
The unpaid invoice has subsequently grown to $200,000 at a rate of $55 every day since the bill was due, according to Radar.
At press time, it did not seem that Govan has responded to the law firm’s latest demand for payment.
Govan and Barnes, who share 15-year-old twin sons, Carter Kelly Barnes and Isaiah Michael Barnes, are still entangled in a nasty child support battle, and it appears that Barnes has had the upper hand. In late July, there was a court decision to overturn a $133,000 back child support verdict against him.
As Finurah previously reported, Barnes’ child support was reduced from $20,000 a month to $7,600 following his retirement in 2018.
At the time, 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.
