The drama between funnyman/self-styled relationship guru Steve Harvey and his ex-wife Mary Shackleford Harvey continued this week when both parties were in court Monday, Feb. 7 squaring off about allegations from Harvey about his wife defaming his character on TV and on the Internet. But there are also lawsuits flying all over the place; Steve’s current wife Marjorie is in the mix, threatening a defamation of character suit against Mary accusing Marjorie of being one of Steve’s mistresses; and one of Steve’s alleged former mistresses, atuthor Terry Smith, filed a lawsuit against the comedian in Dec. 2007 claiming fraud damages and loss of income from a book she wrote, “Men Will Lie When the Truth Will Do;” The King, His Queen & His Other Woman,” based on her intimate and personal relationship with Harvey from 1991-2000, while married to Mary. Radio talk show ‘Fly Jock” Tom Joyner has also joined in the fray, purportedly offering to act as a mediator to end the war of animosity between the two, by having Mary on his radio show last week.
Steve Harvey’s ex-wife Mary puts him on blast on YouTube over infidelities in their marriage
By Tonya Pendleton
BlackAmericaWeb.com
Comic/author/radio host Steve Harvey may now rue the day he became a “relationship” expert. According to his ex-wife, Mary Harvey, he’s hardly qualified given his own indiscretions during their marriage.
Mary Harvey took to YouTube to allege that not only was Steve Harvey a serial cheater, but that one of the women he cheated on her with was his current wife, Marjorie Harvey. Over 200,000 YouTube users watched at least one of the three-part video series released by Mary Harvey. In them, a composed Mary Harvey details her relationship with her ex-husband and says that not only did he cheat on her; he used his celebrity and money to force her into an unfair divorce and take their son, Wynton, away from her.
In 2007, Mary Harvey sued her former divorce lawyer, Ricky Anderson, who was also Steve Harvey’s attorney, claiming that she was forced into a quick divorce to hide his many issues, including emotional and physical abuse.)
Mary Harvey has also alleged that Steve Harvey is suing her in Texas, claiming that he blames her for keeping him off the OWN Network, the network founded by Oprah Winfrey.
“In Steve’s opinion, I was responsible when Oprah did not give him a TV show,” Mary Harvey told People.com. “I’m being sued for that. That is why I’m saying what I have to say.” She also told People.com that Harvey referenced her in a recent Essence cover story, which upset her.
But in the YouTube videos – which are, in total, almost a half-hour long – Mary Harvey says she wanted to get some “closure” from the situation after friends and family members told her about a book called “Why Do I Have to Think Like A Man?,” which was fashioned as an answer book to Steve Harvey’s two books on women and relationships. Mary Harvey also says she wanted to help other women by sharing her story.
Steve Harvey, one of the “Kings of Comedy” who currently hosts a syndicated morning radio program, has achieved success in recent years in a new arena – that of relationship guru. His two books “Act Like A Lady – Think Like a Man” and “Straight Talk, No Chaser: How To Find, Keep and Understand a Man,” have made bestseller lists and brought him to Winfrey’s attention. The talk-show mogul featured Steve Harvey and his first book on a women-only show.
Despite his popularity as a self-styled relationship advisor, Steve Harvey admitted to infidelity and more in his personal life, saying that he was a changed man after becoming a “man of God.” Now married to his third wife, he has become involved in the Disney Dream Academy to mentor young people and is the long-time host of BET’s “Celebration of Gospel,” as well as, ironically enough, the game show “Family Feud.”
Steve Harvey’s lawyers responded soon after the videos went viral. His attorney, Bobbie Edmonds, released a letter to media calling Mary Harvey’s comments “slanderous, false, misleading, derogatory and disparaging.” The statement further reads, “The ex-wife is fully aware of the court’s current orders and permanent injunctions which prohibit either party, their lawyers or representatives from discussing and releasing information on the Internet and to the media. We are taking the necessary legal steps to rectify this matter to the full extent of the law, and we will be seeking contempt and sanctions against her for such reprehensible and callous disregard for the court orders.”
Despite those orders, Steve Harvey responded via his radio program and via Twitter, telling a user that he didn’t respond to lies. On his show, where he was broadcasting live from a Disney cruise, he said, in part: “I know the truth. But the matter is, the part that’s hurtful in this is my wife and children had to be drugged [sic] into this. If you’re going to be vindictive, go ahead and aim it at me, but my son is coming in the room crying. And that’s also her son. So why would you do this?”
He added: “So, I’m just more concerned about my son, who I happen to have total custody of, rights to all education and everything. He’s with us on the ship today. And he doesn’t deserve to have to answer questions like this from his friends. And it’s just being inconsiderate of your own child.”
“But it is what it is, I’m good,” Harvey continued. “I appreciate all the support … the people that’s going to hate you, they’re just looking for something to hate you for anyway. You could do me all you want, I don’t care what you say about me. But my wife and kids are off limits, I tell people all the time. If you want to pray for us, then pray for Wynton. But things will be dealt with in the proper fashion this time.”
For her part, Marjorie Harvey also issued a statement through her lawyer, saying that she’s considering filing a lawsuit against Mary Harvey.
“As a wife and a mother, I cannot stand back and allow the defamation of my character or actions that will malign my family,” Marjorie Harvey said through her lawyer, C. Anthony Mulrain, according to BlackVoices.com, to whom the statement was released. “So, I will do what I need to do to the greatest extent of the law. The posting is nothing more than a sad attempt by Mary to make herself relevant in the eyes of the media.”
Mary and Steve Harvey divorced in 2005. Marjorie and Steve Harvey married in 2007.
UPDATE! Steve Harvey camp: Document disproves ex-wife’s claims
eurweb.com
This week, Steve Harvey’s reps report a Texas judge has approved the release of a legal document “which verifiably proves” that the allegations from his ex-wife Mary Harvey (spurred by her appearance on YouTube) were indeed false.”
Despite an existing gag order in the case stemming from their 2005 divorce proceedings, the Honorable Judge Dry of the District Court in Collin County has temporarily lifted the order “so that Steve Harvey will have the opportunity to set the record straight with the hope that the plethora of media outlets that reported these false allegations wlll now report the truth,” read an e-mail sent to EUR from his reps.
Steve’s camp says the released document disproves the following allegations from Mary:
(1) Mary Harvey was not left broke or destitute by Mr. Harvey after their divorce in 2005. She was paid $40,000/month until March 2009 and then paid a lump sum of $1.5 million;
(2) Mary Harvey was not left homeless after her divorce from Mr. Harvey in 2005. She was awarded three (3) homes in their property settlement;
(3) Mr. Harvey is the primary custodian of their 13 year old son, whom Mary Harvey willingly put on an airplane to his father. Mary Harvey sent him to his father without Mr. Harvey’s knowledge; and
(4) The 2005 divorce of Steve and Mary Harvey was granted on the grounds of irreconcilable differences and his current wife was not named in the original divorce proceeding nor was she the cause of the marital break-up.
DOCUMENTS: These copies of the letter from Steve Harvey’s attorney and a page from the five page legal document disputes Mary Harvey’s claims and keeps the gag order on Mary, but temporarily lifts the gag order for Harvey to clear his name against the allegations.
Ex sues comedian for rights to her book
courthouse news.com
From Dec. 20, 2007
ATLANTA – Terry Smith, who says she had a 9-year relationship with comedian Steve Harvey, has sued Harvey and Big City Enterprises in a dispute over rights to the book she wrote about their relationship, “Men Will Lie When the Truth Will Do,” which Harvey allegedly fears will hurt his “clean cut, good guy, and likeable Christian image.”
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