Brittany Renner is back in court, asking for a significant increase in child support from NBA forward P.J. Washington.
According to filings submitted in Los Angeles County and obtained by Us Weekly, Renner is seeking to raise the current $5,500 monthly payment to $35,000.
Renner, 33, shares a son, Paul Jermaine Washington III, with the Dallas Mavericks player. In her request, she informed the court that the $5,500 figure was initially based on expenses in North Carolina.
However, since relocating to California in late 2024, she said the cost of living has far outpaced that number. She also noted that Washington, 27, has recently secured a four-year, $90 million contract extension with Dallas, while her own primary income source—VH1’s Basketball Wives—came to an end in June.
“I am struggling to make ends meet, and I cannot provide Paul III a life anywhere similar to that of his father,” Renner wrote in her filing. She added that the current order represents “0.30% of [Washington’s] monthly income,” a fraction of what she believes is fair given his financial position.
The legal request highlights sharp differences in lifestyle. Renner said Washington and his wife regularly share images of their Texas mansion, luxury cars, and designer vacations on social media.
In contrast, she said she has been living in an Airbnb rental and shopping for their son’s clothes at Target. “I wish for Paul III to live in a home similar to that of his father and his half-siblings,” she wrote.
Her attorney, Patrick Baghdaserians of Baghdaserians Law Group, addressed the filing with a statement pointing to California’s legal standards.
“Every child deserves the best opportunities life can afford them,” he said. “For nearly 100 years, California courts have consistently maintained and fostered the principle that the duty of a parent does not end by providing mere necessities of life if he or she can afford more. On countless occasions, courts have explicitly established that a child ‘is entitled to be supported in a style and condition consonant with the position in society of its parents.’”
He added that while he could not speak on the specific filing, “all steps taken by Ms. Renner are in the best interest of her child and are in line with the laws of the State of California.”
Washington has continued to meet his current obligations, which include both the $5,500 monthly payments and a $130,000 lump sum previously ordered by the court.