Brittney Griner ordered to pay child support to Glory Johnson

Lawyers for basketball players Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson headed back to an Arizona courtroom last Thursday to hash out a child support case between the estranged couple, according to the Arizona Republic.

The case involved the cost of caring for the couple’s twin children, Ava Simone and Solei Diem. Johnson became pregnant with the twins via in vitro fertilization with her egg and a donor’s sperm. Johnson said she was 24 weeks pregnant when she gave birth Oct. 12, 2015. Since then, Griner has paid $2,665.81 a month in support, a source close to Griner confirmed.

On May 8, 2015, Johnson and Griner, both WNBA players, were married. A month later, Johnson, who plays for the Tulsa Shock, announced that she would miss the 2015 WNBA season because she was pregnant. But the next day, Griner — a member of the Phoenix Mercury — filed papers requesting the marriage be annulled or dissolved, saying she was “pressured into marriage under duress by Johnson’s threatening statements.” A few months later, Johnson’s request for $20,000 a month in temporary spousal support plus attorney’s fees from Griner was denied by Maricopa County, Arizona, Superior Court commissioner Jacki Ireland.

Most recently, Arizona Judge Timothy Thomason agreed that $2,516.97 is a reasonable monthly payment for child support for Griner to pay, according to the Arizona Republic.

Court docs: Brittney Griner claims Glory Johnson cheated, had ‘sexual relations with man’

Brittney Griner shockingly filed to annul her marriage with Glory Johnson just 28 days after the same-sex couple wed and one day after Johnson announced she was pregnant by using donated sperm. At the time, Griner cited “fraudulent statements” made by Johnson and pressure into marriage “under duress” in the original June 5 paperwork.

Griner and her representation filed a July 13 motion to amend the initial petition for annulment, revealing key details into Griner’s decision to end the marriage.

In the court documents, obtained by USA TODAY Sports on July 23, it is revealed that Griner omitted certain facts in the initial petition in order to protect the couple’s privacy. The amended documents reveal that Johnson was texting an ex-boyfriend while the two were engaged. The amended documents also detail Griner “recently discovering” Johnson’s “sexual relationship with a man” while the couple was dating.

Griner’s claims of Johnson’s unfaithfulness from the court documents are detailed in full below.

Further, just prior to Petitioner filing her Petition for Annulment and Alternative for Dissolution, Petitioner learned that Respondent had been communicating with her former beau, which is documented by text messages on April 6, 2015. Petitioner was not aware that Respondent had continued admiration for her former male companion and would not have married Respondent if she had been made aware of Respondent’s continued affection for her beau.

Additionally, Petitioner just recently learned that Respondent was not completely faithful during their courtship leading up to the engagement. Respondent intentionally concealed her sexual relations with a man to whom she was simultaneously in a relationship with from 2013 to July 2014; said relationship between Respondent and this man was unbeknownst to Petitioner. Petitioner had no idea that Respondent was sexually and emotionally involved with another individual at the same time she was sexually and emotionally involved with Respondent. Had Petitioner been aware of Respondent’s relationship with another person, she would have never proposed, let alone marry Respondent. Upon information and belief, Respondent not only deceived Petitioner, but also the man to who Respondent was in a relationship with.

Griner contends she was pressured into marriage as well as agreeing to start a family with Johnson, who announced she’s having twins from in-vitro fertilization using donated sperm; Griner has no biological relationship to the unborn children. A motion filed on June 29 details Johnson’s request that Griner pay $20,000 per month in spousal support in addition to a $10,000 advancement toward attorney fees. An evidential hearing is scheduled in Phoenix for Aug. 17 in regard to Griner’s marriage petition, which stated neither party was entitled to spousal support, and Johnson’s counter-petition.

Both women were suspended seven games by the WNBA following their arrests that stemmed from a fight in their Arizona home on April 22. Griner, who has served her suspension already and has played in nine league games, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct six days later and entered a domestic violence diversion program. Johnson, who is sitting out for the 2015 season, officially pleaded not guilty on July 15 after illustrating herself as the victim of the incident in a June 2 interview with Sports Illustrated.

Earlier this year, Johnson said in an interview with The New York Times that she is not a lesbian but was attracted to Griner.

“I’m not a lesbian,” Johnson said. “But Brittney is different.”

“Glory is straight,” Griner said in the May 11 interview. “That was another reason why I thought this could end really bad.”