Ed Hartwell Asks Judge To Toss Keshia Knight Pulliam’s $32K Support Suit

Source: Paras Griffin / Getty

Ed Hartwell is disputing a lawsuit from his ex-wife Keshia Knight Pulliam that accuses him of being a deadbeat dad who owes her more than $30,000 in back child support.

The former NFL star and “Real Housewives of Atlanta” cast member filed court papers this week asking a judge to throw out Knight Pulliam’s lawsuit against him for chronically failing to provide for their daughter because he claims he was never properly served with the court papers, BOSSIP can reveal.

Hartwell said Knight Pulliam’s process server didn’t actually serve him with the lawsuit when he allegedly ambushed him outside of a visitation center where Hartwell was having supervised parenting time with their daughter. Hartwell said he never accepted the paperwork or even acknowledged the server, and further, personal service isn’t allowed at the visitation center. He says he has a witness to back up his contentions.

We exclusively revealed that Knight Pulliam accused her former spouse Hartwell of flouting their court-ordered child support deal, where Hartwell is supposed to pay Pulliam $3,007 a month for their little girl, Ella, who will be three years old this year. Knight Pulliam said Hartwell has been paying less than half the amount, and despite her protestations, he hasn’t paid anything at all for some months, according to court papers obtained by BOSSIP. The mom said that Hartwell’s failure to pay has caused him to accrue a child support debt of $31,647.

Source: Robin L Marshall / Getty

The actress and reality star said she’s had enough and wants him fined $5,000 and jailed for three weeks or until he settles his debt to her. Knight Pulliam said Hartwell has shown that he has no regard for court orders or his responsibilities as a dad. She cited a financial affidavit that shows Hartwell makes $9,000 a month from NFL disability, so he has the money to pay, but just isn’t doing it.

Knight Pulliam accused Hartwell of ignoring a previous court order to shell out more than $8,000 to her for utilities and move out expenses for their former family home, $800 for a paternity test and nearly $5,000 in lawyer’s fees, according to court docs.

Hartwell and Knight Pulliam were married in 2016 – however, they separated just six months later, with both sides admitting that the marriage was “irretrievably broken,” with no chance of reconciliation, their divorce petitions state.

Knight Pulliam accused Hartwell of being cruel to her during her pregnancy with their daughter, which led her to fear for her emotional and mental health, according to her complaint. She said he publicly questioned whether he was the child’s father, wasn’t there for her during the pregnancy, and was barely around the first year of the girl’s life.

We’ve reached out to lawyers for both Hartwell and Pulliam for comment.