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Jason Kidd's Wife Claims "Pattern of Abuse" in Lawsuit
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 17, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 17, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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Last month, Jason Kidd filed for divorce from his wife, Joumana, citing extreme cruelty. The Nets point guard claimed his wife kicked and punched him, as well as put tracking devices on his cars and computers, not to mention taunted him during games. The Kidds' relationship had its patches and other allegations of spousal abuse - back in 2001, Joumana Kidd had some called 911 while Kidd played for the Phoenix Suns (she said he had punched her in the face because she didn't want him eating their son's French fries).
Now Joumana Kidd has filed a lawsuit against her husband, claiming "years of spousal abuse" and infidelity. The Smoking Gun printed the 27-page lawsuit that paints the picture of Jason Kidd as a crazy S.O.B. She says that Kidd frequently hit her (sometimes beating her with candle sticks), smashed her head against the middle console of their car, kicked her, threw objects at her (from "football-sized" rocks to cookies and hairbrushes), and would not speak to her from days while on the road. Joumana 
Kidd claims she held out hope for their marriage when in 2004 Kidd "recommitted" himself to Christianity, and another time when Kidd admitted he had a problem and suspected he might have a chemical imbalance. And then there's drinking, gambling, cheating on her with strippers and other reporters (and a sister of teammate) and trying to shower her with jewelry to apologize.
The Daily News has a map of where Kidd allegedly fooled around behind her back. And when a reporter went to their home in Saddle River, NJ, a woman said that Joumana Kidd was ""very focused. She's trying to spend as much time with her kids as possible. She's doing fine. She didn't want a measure of payback. She tried to have the record sealed." The Star-Ledger reports Jason Kidd's attorney as saying his wife's claims are "retaliatory and gratuitously nasty."
Nets Daily says rumors about the Nets trading Kidd before the deadline are growing. Kidd is in Las Vegas for the NBA All-Star Game; he is an All-Star, but is injured, so he won't be playing.
Photograph of Jason Kidd during an All-Star Game press conference yesterday by Kevork Djansezian/AP
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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