Tristan Thompson is trying to keep the controversy around his potential third child as quiet as possible.
The 30-year-old NBA star has reportedly filed an emergency gag order request as part of his ongoing paternity suit with Maralee Nichols, per Us Weekly. The filing, completed in Harris County, Texas, would prevent both Tristan and Maralee from publicly discussing the case.
Attorneys for Tristan also claim that Maralee violated a confidentiality agreement that a judge orally ruled on earlier in the proceedings. The suit was first filed against Tristan in June.
In the most recent filing, Tristan's legal team claims that Maralee's "intention all along [was] to try to achieve some sort of notoriety and gain for herself in this lawsuit," reports Page Six.
The filing also says the previously released Snapchat message between Tristan and Maralee is "wholly and clearly fabricated" in an "attempt to smear" Tristan.
Maralee, who is a personal trainer, claims that she and Tristan were intimately involved in March, when he was in Houston around his 30th birthday. She gave birth to her child on December 2. Tristan admits to the affair in his own filings, saying the pair had sex on several occasions.
At the time, Tristan was still involved with reality star Khloé Kardashian, the mother of his second child, 3-year-old True Thompson. The two split in June, which we now know to be when the most recent paternity suit was filed.
Sources close to Khloé say she wasn't thrilled to find out the news, despite the fact they are no longer together.
"Khloé was upset to find out that he cheated again," a source told People.
"She just can't believe that he is going to be a dad again. It's just a sad situation to her."
"This is a very sad time for Khloé," another source told Us Weekly.
"She really loves Tristan and still held a candle for him. She thought he might have changed his ways. Khloé now knows that Tristan was unfaithful to her when they were back together."
Maralee also mentioned Tristan's paternity suit with the mother of his oldest child, 4-year-old Prince. Maralee attached an article to her petition claiming that Jordan Craig receives $40,000 a month in child support payments, per Radar Online.
Tristan was also the subject of a paternity suit in May 2020, when Kimberly Alexander claimed he had fathered her 4-year-old son. A DNA test later led to dismissal of the suit.
The whole situation is especially shocking when you consider that Khloé and Tristan were exploring the possibility of growing their family through surrogacy. A reported surrogacy arrangement for the couple fell through in summer 2020.
Khloé has been vocal about wanting a sibling for 3-year-old True, who reportedly has a close relationship with older brother Prince, despite previous drama between Jordan, Thristan, and Khloé. Now, it seems like True will have another sibling, but not in the way Khloé had wanted.
