Maralee Nichols Breaks Silence On Tristan Thompson Relationship, Paternity Suit

Maralee Nichols, the woman suing Tristan Thompson for child support and pregnancy-related fees, is speaking out on the paternity case.

Nichols has claimed that Thompson, 30, is the father of her baby, whom she welcomed on Dec. 1, though the Sacramento Kings player has disputed the paternity of the child. Thompson has since claimed that their relationship was never serious and that they saw each other "sporadically" between December 2020 and March 13.

Just a day after Thompson's paternity case was dismissed in Texas, marking a legal victory for Nichols, she released a lengthy statement to "defend her character" Friday, detailing how she met him and where they stand now.

"Over the past couple of weeks, many inaccurate and false stories have been circulated about me. I have not at any point released—nor have I directed anyone else to release—any information regarding Tristan Thompson or any litigation involving him," Nichols said in a statement to E! News. "I have never spoken to any media outlet, nor have I leaked any information to anyone at any time."

Nichols filed a paternity lawsuit against Thompson in California in June, while Thompson filed his own suit against her in July in Texas. The case had been sealed online, but following the dismissal, she is sharing the "facts" about her relationship with the athlete.

In her statement, Nichols said she has lived in California since 2019 and has been working as a fitness model for years. She denied ever working as a personal trainer for Thompson.

According to Nichols, she met Thompson at a party at his Encino, California, home in 2020. The NBA player denied this in one of his previous court filings, saying they met at someone else's home.

Nichols further alleged that the athlete told her he was single and co-parenting and that she "would never have gotten involved with Tristan if I thought he was in a relationship." Thompson was dating Khloé Kardashian, with whom he shares 3-year-old daughter True, during his and Nichols' romance. They called it quits for a second time in June.

Nichols also disputed Thompson's past claim that the pair's relationship was "based on sex only" and that they communicated solely through Snapchat, saying in her statement: "Tristan told me he was not having a sexual relationship with anyone else; it was not casual sex nor did we have any arrangement. Tristan and I communicated daily and talked on the phone. We would see each other several times a month."

Nichols alleged that they met on Christmas last year, New Year's Day and his birthday in March. She claimed that after spending time together during his birthday weekend in Houston, Thompson invited her to visit him in Boston in April.

Thompson claimed in court documents previously obtained by E! News that the "only time" he had sexual intercourse, and could have possibly conceived a child, with Nichols this year was on his birthday, March 13, in Houston.

In her Friday statement, however, Nichols said she saw Thompson both in March and in April, and learned that she was pregnant "a few weeks" after the trip to Boston in April.

Nichols insisted that Thompson has never helped her financially with her pregnancy and her child and that she never asked him for money or accepted any amount offered to her, Us Weekly reported. She also disputes the reported detail from early in the case that she filed for child support before their alleged child was born.

"Tristan filed a paternity action in Texas after I filed my paternity action in Los Angeles. I did not file any request for child support before our child was born,” she alleged Friday. "The case that Tristan brought against me was dismissed on Dec. 15, 2021. There was no gag order granted despite his attempt to obtain one."

In a previous filing, Nichols said she believes Thompson "thinks forum shopping in Texas will save him money ultimately in child support." On the other hand, Thompson said in a declaration Thursday, "I filed paternity action in Texas because that is the only place where paternity could have taken place."

Since Thompson's case in Texas was dismissed, it's likely Nichols' lawsuit will be handled in California.

Lawyers for Thompson have not yet commented on Nichols' statement.