An ex-cop in Maryland is suing Steve Smith Sr. over a months-long affair the former Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens star allegedly had with the man’s wife, a member of the Ravens’ marching band.
Antonio Martinez, who previously was a member of the San Antonio, Texas Police Department, filed the lawsuit on Tuesday in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Superior Court. Smith, a Mecklenburg resident, was served the suit on Friday, according to court documents.
Martinez brought the complaint under North Carolina’s so-called homewrecker law, formally known as the “alienation of affection” law, which lets an aggrieved spouse sue the party they blame for damaging their marriage, his attorney Christopher Adkins told The Independent.
He said North Carolina is one of only a handful of states with such a law, and that he files “a number of” similar cases annually.
Adkins described Martinez as “super heartbroken” upon discovering the alleged affair. Martinez, who is also a U.S. Army veteran, already suffered from PTSD-related issues, and the affair “just devastated him,” according to Adkins.
“This isn’t some kind of money grab; he really was put in a bad spot, emotionally,” he said. “He’s trying to figure out where to go from here.”
Smith’s lawyer, Jonathan Feit, did not respond to a request for comment.
The Charlotte Observer was first to report on the lawsuit.
Earlier this year, Martinez exposed the relationship between his wife and Smith by posting screenshots on social media of incriminating messages the two had reportedly sent each other.
The complaint says Martinez discovered the alleged affair on February 22, “right after [he] and [his] wife had just engaged in sexual intercourse,” and that she immediately confessed that she had indeed been sleeping with Smith.
“He rolled over and looked and her phone is blowing up with Steve Smith’s number, sending texts late at night,” Adkins told The Independent.
Martinez then called Smith and confronted him, saying, “Hey, yo Steve… Yeah, you’ve been f***ing my wife, bro. Whatcha gotta say for yourself?”
Smith, a legendary trash-talker who is now an analyst for the NFL Network, replied, “I’m sorry,” according to Martinez’s complaint.
Martinez and his wife, Nicole, split up the same day, the complaint states. It says the two met on Tinder in June 2000, and married in September of the following year. They have one child together and share five others from previous relationships.
