Andre Johnson being sued by ex-girlfriend

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- One of the Houston Texans' most popular players is dealing with domestic and legal trouble.

We're hearing from attorneys for the mother of Andre Johnson's child, and they're telling her side of the story. She's asking for more child support and wants to move out of state with their daughter. The Texans spokesperson says they haven't seen a lawsuit and aren't commenting right now.

The lawsuit was filed in Harris County court on Tuesday but attorneys for the Texans star wide receiver's longtime girlfriend say the two have been separated since January.

"This case is really about accountability. Accountability both with respect to doing the right thing as a father, as a parent, financially and addressing the many promises that were broken to her," attorney Robert Hoffman said.

Dionne Reese hired high-profile attorneys Robert Hoffman and Earle Lilly, who also represented Cynthia Rodriguez in her divorce against NY Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez.

"I don't think you're going to find any physical violence. No one's claiming it and I don't think it's an issue in the case but you're going to find a lot of emotional issues," Lilly said.

The lawsuit filed on behalf of Reese asks for custody of their three-and-a-half-year-old daughter. Reese also claims she's been the subject of "intentional infliction of emotional distress." She's also suing Johnson for "breach of fiduciary duty" resulting in "damages exceeding millions of dollars."

"I think there is no question celebrity status will be a part of this case because that's who Mr. Johnson is," Hoffman said.

Attorneys for Reese say this isn't the first filing, that an earlier document was filed by Johnson's attorney in a parent/child case but the filing used only the initials of the parties involved, leading Reese's attorneys to say in the court documents, "There are no secret lawsuits."

"We have now brought the names out and we have filed an amended petition," Hoffman said.

Reese also claims Johnson recanted "reasonable child support" and has "earned millions of dollars in income as a professional football player," suggesting "$1,500 per month is sufficient" for his young daughter.

"We're trying to keep this down to a mild roar for the benefit of this child. If they want peace, they can get peace," Lilly said.

We made calls after the end of the business day but have not heard back yet from his attorney or his agent.

Again the Texans say they have no knowledge of the legal documents so do not have a comment at this time.


(abclocal.go.com)