YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    Paternity suit dropped against basketball legend Michael Jordan

    By David Beasley | Reuters – Mon, Mar 18, 2013

    By David Beasley

    ATLANTA (Reuters) - An Atlanta woman who says basketball legend Michael Jordan is the father of her 16-year-old son has dropped her paternity suit against him.

    Pamela Smith, 48, filed a paternity suit against Jordan last month seeking child support. Jordan denies he is the father of the child and has also filed a counterclaim seeking sanctions against Smith for making false claims.

    Smith acknowledged in a previous divorce proceeding that her now ex-husband is the father of the child, according to Jordan's lawyers.

    The case has not been settled, Smith's attorney, Randy Kessler, told Reuters on Monday. His client has voluntarily dismissed the case "without prejudice" which means she can re-file it later if she chooses, Kessler added.

    "She began this case without an attorney and did her best to file what she believed to be a legally appropriate case," Kessler said.

    "She then hired our firm just before the first court appearance. Ms. Smith has relied on our advice and determined that dismissal at this time, without prejudice, is in her son's best interests," he said.

    In a statement, Estee Portnoy, Michael Jordan's spokeswoman, confirmed that the suit has been dropped and said, "There has been no settlement or money paid to Ms. Smith."

    Jordan, 50, is widely hailed as the best basketball player of all time and was a member of six NBA championship teams with the Chicago Bulls. He is majority owner of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats team.

    John Mayoue, Jordan's attorney, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment on the case.

    Last week, Smith asked a Georgia court to force Jordan to submit to a DNA test to prove or disprove whether he is the father.

    "My son has the right to know who his father is," Smith told reporters after the hearing. "He has had an issue with it over the years."

    (Editing by David Adams and Andrew Hay)

    Loading...

    News for You »

    • No Wonder Republican Criticism of Obama Isn’t Working

      Henny Youngman, the late borscht belt comedian, told hundreds of politically incorrect jokes. One of them was his response when asked, “How’s your wife?” “Compared to what?” he’d say.

    • Trucker bumps I-5 bridge, sees tragedy behind him

      MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) — The trucker was hauling a load of drilling equipment when his load bumped against the steel framework over an Interstate 5 bridge. He looked in his rearview mirror and watched in horror as the span collapsed into the water behind him. Two vehicles fell into the icy Skagit River.

    • Wife says trucker saw bridge collapse in mirror

      MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) — The wife of a Canadian trucker whose rig caused the collapse of a Washington bridge says a special vehicle called a pole car had travelled the route to make sure the load would fit.

    • Why is AT&T milking subscribers for an extra $500 million? ‘Because they can’

      AT&T said earlier this week that it will add a new administrative fee to each of its wireless subscribers’ monthly bills. The fee is only $0.61, which doesn’t sound like much, and an AT&T spokesperson was quick to point out to several news sites that this new fee is lower than similar fees charged by rival carriers. Subscribers were still outraged. Now that the shouting has died down a bit, however, people are looking for a batter explanation for the new charge they’ll see each month. According to one industry watcher, that explanation couldn’t be simpler: “Because they can.” “Why would AT&T do this? Because they can, and it is all in the pricing strategy,” Joe Hoffman, principal analyst at ABI Research

    • Dog Found Standing Guard Over a Tornado Victim Reunited With Her Owner

      There's a happy ending to the story of a dog, found alive in the rubble after a massive tornado devastated Moore, Oklahoma: she's been reunited with her owner.

    • Elton John Is Like a Nagging Mom for Billy Joel

      Andrew Goldman has an extensive interview with Billy Joel in this Sunday's New York Times Magazine, which — after you finish admiring the accompanying photo of Joel and his pug posing in a sidecar — covers the piano man's finances, divorces, and drinking. It also tackles the question of why Joel isn't recording new pop music, something about which Elton John, who toured with Joel for many years, has an opinion. Goldman asked Joel: "Are you cool with Elton now? Basically he said that you’re not writing new songs out of fear or laziness. ...

    • Visa, Mastercard ask U.S. court to declare card fees are lawful

      By Jessica Dye NEW YORK (Reuters) - Visa Inc and MasterCard Inc, opening another front in an eight-year battle over credit card fees paid by retailers, on Friday asked a federal judge to declare that the fees do not violate antitrust law. The lawsuit seeks to give the card companies legal ammunition against some retailers who are trying to opt out a proposed settlement under which they would receive a share of $7.2 billion in cash and fee discounts from the card companies. ...

    • Damage reported from magnitude-5.7 quake in Calif.

      GREENVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Residents in rural northeastern California assessed damage to their homes and businesses Friday from a magnitude-5.7 earthquake, one of the strongest temblors to hit the densely forested region in decades.

    Show More

    Follow Yahoo! News

    Loading...