Houston and Brown battle over custody

ORANGE, Calif. — Bobby Brown claims in a lawsuit that Whitney Houston has kept him from contact with their teenage daughter since she won custody of the girl at the end of their rocky marriage.

“I have not seen or spoken to my daughter since early June and I have no prospect of speaking to her anytime soon due to Whitney’s actions,” Brown declared in Orange County Superior Court filings released last month.

Brown has been trying to overturn a judge’s default judgment to nullify the couple’s marriage and grant Houston sole custody of 14-year-old Bobbi Kristina.

During a court hearing in April, Houston testified that Brown was “unreliable” and that she didn’t need spousal or child support.

Brown disputes her claim, saying he’s been involved in their daughter’s life and was her primary caretaker when the couple lived in Atlanta.

When Houston moved to Orange County to undergo drug rehabilitation, Brown said he paid about $10,000 for his wife and daughter to stay at a posh hotel.

“At the same time, I basically lived out of my car,” Brown said.

In other court filings obtained the syndicated entertainment TV show “Extra,” Houston disputes that she is keeping Brown and their daughter apart and says she “would like him to be involved” in Bobbi Kristina’s life.

“Frankly, I needed to be divorced from him so that I could get my life back on track,” the singer said.

Houston and Brown wed in 1992, when she was at the height of her fame as a Grammy-winning superstar known for hits such as “I Will Always Love You.”

Brown, a former member of New Edition, gained solo fame with singles such as “Don’t Be Cruel” and “My Prerogative.”

During their 14-year marriage, Brown was arrested for drugs and alcohol, and Houston twice entered drug rehab programs.

(Associated Press)