Insecure star DomiNque Perry asked a court to award her $45k in legal fees after her former co-star Sarunas Jackson dropped his California custody fight.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, Perry demanded the court award her the 5-figure sum after Sarunas waved the white flag in court. As we first reported, Sarunas filed a petition demanding joint legal and physical custody of his 5-year-old daughter Zen earlier this year.
Sarunas and DomiNque starred on HBO’s Insecure but never officially dated. Sarunas is the brother of Keke Palmer's ex-boyfriend Darius Jackson.
In the filing, he denied he was a deadbeat dad despite DomiNque’s alleged statements claiming otherwise.
“[DomiNque] has defamed my character to others, making them believe I am an absent father. Her negative communications with others, including to peers in our industry, regarding her opinions of me have made me fear for repercussions in my career," Sarunas said.
DomiNque told the court Sarunas filed his petition after she informed him she planned to move back to Texas with Zen. She said her support system was in Texas and said she never planned to stay in Los Angeles permanently.
She trashed Sarunas and his family. “I experienced emotional volatility, intimidation, bullying, undeserved stress, mental and physical abuse, controlling and narcissistic behavior, all over the past 5 plus years from Sarunas and his family,” she claimed.
The actress claimed Sarunas got physical with her during an argument.
She said, “Sarunas got heated in the conversation and began to repeatedly call me stupid, I then said to him, “you talk to your mother like that not me” at that point he became more angry and grabbed me by the throat and started choking me.”
She said he let her go after Zen walked into the room.
After months of back and forth, Sarunas agreed to drop the California battle and move the case to Texas. Now, DomiNque argued Sarunas should pay the $45k she racked up in legal bills fighting him in Los Angeles court.
“Petitioner forced Respondent to incur substantial attorney's fees and costs in this matter, leading up to a scheduled evidentiary hearing on home state jurisdiction of the Minor Child, without ever meeting and conferring, before he conceded that Texas shall be the home state for the Minor Child for all issues related to custody and child support without requiring a hearing on the issue,” her motion read.
A judge has yet to rule on the motion.
As we first reported, Sarunas' brother Darius was hit with a temporary restraining order by Keke Palmer over alleged abuse.