Acapella singer Kelis has been ordered to pay up in a court battle over a failure to pay for services rendered last year. According to Los Angeles based sources, the estranged wife of Hip Hop recording star Nas, has been asked to pay $5,000 for a hair weave… “Kelis got the weave at a fancy schmancy Santa Monica salon back in May 2009 but, according to legal docs, the singer never coughed up the dough,” reports TMZ. After failing to show up for a hearing with the stylist this week, sources say the judge entered a default judgment for the full amount. As previously reported, Kelis is said to be receiving over $51k per month from her estranged hubby, Nas, who has been ordered to pay spousal and child support since their divorce proceedings began last summer (2009).
It’s a case of Kelis not Nas, as the former has been ordered to pay up in court. The ‘Milkshake’ singer was taken to court by her ex-husband and rapper Nas, who she split from eight years ago. But it turns out that it is actually Kelis who will have to settle the legal bill, not Nas. Here we take an in-depth look at the recent ruling and what this means for both parties going forward.
The acrimonious divorce between Kelis and Nas resulted in a bitter custody battle over their nine year old son Knight Jones which ensued for two years before finally ending last month with a Los Angeles judge announcing his decision. According to reports, he ruled that Kelis should be responsible for paying her own attorney fees rather than having them covered by her ex-husband as had previously been requested.
Kelis isn’t taking this lying down though – she insists that there are good reasons why the costs should be shared between the pair and is appealing against the judgement. So far neither party has commented on how much money is involved but attorneys’ bills can run into tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on how complex a case is so it looks like this could still turn out to be quite an expensive affair!
Background Of The Dispute
It’s been a long-running legal battle between Kelis and her ex-husband Nasir Jones. The two were married from 2005 to 2010, but their relationship ended in an acrimonious divorce with each party accusing the other of fraud or financial mismanagement.
At the heart of the dispute was Kelis’ allegation that Nas had failed to make payments for spousal and child support as agreed upon during their divorce proceedings. In response, Nas argued that he had paid all required amounts according to the court order. After several rounds of legal wrangling, the judge ruled that Nas must pay up what he owed to his former wife.
The courts have now ordered him to make regular payments through 2021—a hefty sum which will surely be felt by both parties involved.
Outcome Of The Court Case
Ultimately, the court sided with Kelis in their dispute. The judge ordered Nas to pay up what he owed for spousal and child support as well as punitive damages amounting to a substantial sum.
The ruling was made after much debate between both sides’ legal teams, where it became clear that Nas had indeed failed to make payments according to the terms of his divorce settlement. This caused further financial strain on Kelis who was already struggling financially at the time due to her ex-husband’s negligence.
Nas has now been mandated by the courts to make regular payments until 2021—a bill which will no doubt be painful for him but also bring some relief to Kelis.
Conclusion
I have to say, this case was a bit of a shocker. We don’t often hear about such high-profile disputes between two music legends like Nas and Kelis. Unfortunately for Kelis, the court had its final say in the matter, ordering her to pay up.
It’s clear that legal battles can be tricky when it comes to matters of money and fame. Even with an impressive amount of evidence on both sides, sometimes there is only one conclusion that will satisfy all parties involved. In this instance, that meant requiring Kelis to make payment to her former partner.
At times like these, it’s important to remember that everyone has their own story and perspective – even if you may not agree with them or how they got to where they are today. It’s also essential that we respect the decisions made by the courts as they work hard to ensure fairness in our society.
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