Singer Mel B’s ex-husband’s defamation lawsuit dismissed

A Florida judge has dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed against Mel B by her former husband, Stephen Belafonte, ruling that the singer does not have sufficient connections to the state for the case to proceed there.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ, the judge dismissed the lawsuit last week after concluding that Florida did not have the necessary personal jurisdiction over Mel B. Belafonte had argued that statements made in Mel B’s memoir were read by people in Florida and had damaged his reputation and caused him to lose business opportunities in the state.

However, the judge found that those circumstances were not sufficient to establish the connections required for the lawsuit against Mel B to be litigated in Florida. The case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning Belafonte is not prevented by the dismissal from seeking to bring his claims in another appropriate court.

The ruling did not determine whether the statements at the centre of Belafonte’s defamation claims were true or defamatory. Belafonte filed the lawsuit against Mel B in 2024, several years after the former Spice Girls singer published her memoir, Brutally Honest.

In the book, Mel B accused Belafonte of repeatedly abusing her during their relationship. She has repeated allegations of abuse on several occasions since the memoir was published. Belafonte has denied abusing Mel B. Among the allegations he has disputed is Mel B’s claim that he struck her with a closed fist in 2012 after she flirted with singer Usher.

Belafonte has described that allegation as a “complete fabrication.” Although the Florida case has been dismissed, the dismissal without prejudice leaves open the possibility that Belafonte could seek to pursue the defamation claims in another jurisdiction.