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It had been a tough week for American Idol alum Fantasia Barrino. After being accused of being a “homewrecker” and making an alleged sex tape, the singer tried committing suicide and now she may get sued by wife Paula Cook.
“[Paula Cook] has threatened via her lawyers to me to sue Fantasia,” the singer’s lawyer, Gena Morris, tells People.
North Carolina is one of the seven states that allow a party to sue a “home wrecker” for alienation of affection and criminal conversation. “A comical irony,” says Morris, “because they arrive out of laws when women were property of men.”
If sued, the merit of the lawsuit will be based on when Cook separated from his wife. According to Fantasia’s manager, Antwaun Cook told Barrino he split with his wife in summer 2009, while Paula, in a court filing, has contested it was June 16, 2010.
Fantasia and Cook appeared to officially call it quits on VH1 cameras last Friday, after meeting in a secluded park near her lavish waterfront mansion, reported Radar Online.com. The ‘breakup’ was shot for her VH1’s reality show “Fantasia for Real.” But now in a RadarOnline.com report dated Aug. 17, says Barrino and Cook are definitely back on as a couple and are even talking marriage, according to the gossip site.
Over the weekend, he was snapped removing belongings from the home of his estranged wife, with whom he has two young sons.
“Fantasia and Antwaun are back together again and they have even talked about marriage once his divorce is finalized with Paula,” a source told RadarOnline.com. “She knows that her family will only fully accept her relationship with him when he is no longer married.
“Antwaun has finally committed to Fantasia and his wife knows that their relationship is definitely over now. They want the divorce pushed through as soon as possible and Fantasia is determined to marry him and she wants to start a family with him too.”
The singer’s father Joseph Barrino told RadarOnline.com that he did not approve of his daughter seeing a married man.
“Although she tried to take her own life recently, she has a really busy schedule to focus on with both her reality show and the release of her new album this month too.”
Two weeks ago, The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police report did not mention Fantasia by name, but her manager confirmed that it was Barrino who overdosed. A man told a 911 dispatcher that she took a bottle of aspirin and was slowly losing consciousness. Police did not identify the caller.
Manager Brian Dickens said Fantasia overdosed on the pills and a sleep aid but that her injuries were not life-threatening and that it wasn’t a suicide attempt. She was released from the hospital Wednesday, Dickens said. Earlier, he said she was “in great condition, very stable, very alert and looking forward to returning to work.”
The overdose came days after Paula Cook accused Fantasia in court documents of having an affair with her husband. Fantasia was “overwhelmed by the lawsuit and the media attention,” Dickens said in a statement Tuesday.
The 911 caller described the victim as awake and breathing. Family members doused her in the shower trying to keep her awake. The dispatcher told the caller to take the victim out of the shower.
Dickens acknowledged that Fantasia had a relationship with Cook. Paula Cook alleged in her court filling last week that her husband and Fantasia had recorded sex tapes.
Fantasia read the complaint the following Monday, Dickens said.
“Fantasia fell in love with Mr. Cook and believed that he loved her,” Dickens’ statement said. “Fantasia is heartbroken and is sorry for any pain she may have caused.”
Since winning the “American Idol” crown in 2004, Fantasia has seen success and troubles. While she’s had both platinum and gold albums and starred on Broadway in “The Color Purple,” she almost lost her home in 2008.
A VH1 reality show, “Fantasia For Real,” debuted earlier this year, chronicling her struggles as a single mother trying to support her family, as well as her attempts to jump-start her career, which has sagged in recent years.
“At this moment it’s too soon for us to speak to how these events will change the show and or if anything will be re-worked,” a VH1 spokeswoman said.
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