STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Ne-Yo Sued for Name-Calling an Ex

The singer is named in a defamation lawsuit by a woman he believed was the mother of his child until a paternity test proved otherwise.

Ne-Yo's appearance on his VH1 Behind The Music special last year is now the focus of another real-life drama. The “Let Me Love You” singer (born Shaffer Chimere Smith) was named in a lawsuit claiming defamation.

The suit was filed on behalf of Jesseca White, a woman with whom he thought he was in a co-parent relationship until a paternity test proved otherwise.
According to Courthouse News Service, White says that she and Smith were in a non-exclusive romantic relationship and, when she became pregnant, she told Smith that the baby may not be his. She alleges he willingly signed a declaration of paternity in 2005 and in 2009, after the paternity test showed that he was not the biological father, he agreed to a confidential child support settlement.
The story he told to VH1, White says, is different.
White says that Ne-Yo falsely portrayed her as an “unchaste woman who deliberately tricked him into believing he was the father of her child, Chimere, so that she could fraudulently bilk him of ‘ungodly amounts of money;’” and that it was “a cynical exercise in image management and record promotion to enhance the sales of his new album [R.E.D.].”
Indeed, R.E.D. charted higher, had more first-week sales and received better critical reception than the preceding Libra Scale.
In addition to the actual episode, White cites online attacks (like: “Gold diggin b---h!!! She knew damn well that wasn't his baby to begin with!! She's a disgrace!!”) and a tweet from Ne-Yo (“I need it to be known that the purpose of my BEHIND THE MUSIC wasn't to bash Jesseca White.”) as proof that her reputation and her business as a photographer and professional designer have been damaged.
The amount of damages is unspecified, but White did include in the claim that she “had to move between her mother's house and hotels because she feared the ‘resulting rage,’” reports CNS.
The full suit brings up charges of defamation, false light portrayal, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, and breach of contract.

Get ready for the BET Experience, featuring BeyoncéSnoop DoggR. KellyErykah BaduKendrick Lamar and many more. Go here for more details and info on how to buy tickets.

BET.com is your #1 source for Black celebrity news, photos, exclusive videos and all the latest in the world of hip hop and R&B music.

Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

(Photo: CPA, PacificCoastNews.com)

Latest News

Subscribe for BET Updates

Provide your email address to receive our newsletter.


By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers) and other information from BET and the Paramount family of companies. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time.