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The estranged husband of imprisoned reality star Joe Exotic is speaking out against the “Tiger King” star amid their contentious divorce.
Chris Kirker and Holly Davis, the acting attorneys for Dillon Passage, 25, issued a statement to Fox News Digital on behalf of Passage on Monday in which they hit back at claims from Exotic – whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage – that Passage allegedly “failed to serve his husband and did not follow through with obtaining a divorce through the legal system.”
“Joseph Maldonado-Passage, better known by the pseudonym ‘Joe Exotic,’ is well known for stretching the truth for personal gain, so we are unsurprised to find him doing the same in his divorce case against our client, Dillon Passage,” the statement from Kirker Davis LLP reads.
Exotic made further claims, according to legal documents obtained by People magazine that he tried in multiple instances to reach Passage’s lawyers but had no luck getting in touch – claims that Passage’s legal counsel say is far from the truth.
“Despite Joe’s false claim that Dillon did not attempt to obtain a divorce through legal means, the Kirker Davis Law Firm presented a full and comprehensive settlement agreement to Joe’s lawyer, Francisco Hernandez, on September 3, 2021. On September 8, 2021 at 4:59 p.m. CST, our office received an email from Joe that said, ‘It will be a cold day in hell before I sign these papers’ and ‘Your out of your f–kin mind’ (sic).
The memorandum continues: “Given this response and Joe’s revelation shortly after that date that he was fighting cancer, Dillon paused pursuing litigation out of respect for Joe’s health crisis. Our firm always urges clients to take the high road, and we applauded his compassionate decision. But Dillon now feels compelled to counter the untrue statements that Joe is making publicly.”
‘TIGER KING’ STAR JOE EXOTIC’S ATTORNEYS TO SEEK NEW TRIAL
It adds that “Dillon is eager to efficiently finalize the divorce agreement he proposed in September of 2021.”
Hernandez did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment, however in a statement to People an attorney for the star claimed: “We still have heard nothing from his lawyers or Mr. Passage, but I’m glad he’s ready to move forward. My office number is on the pleadings, let’s roll!”
The lawyer further added, per People: “A legal case was never and therefore no legal remedy was actually pursued by Mr. Passage.”
Exotic filed for divorce from Passage on Thursday in Santa Rosa County, Florida, after four years of marriage.
Per the outlet, Exotic stated in his divorce filing that his marriage to Passage is “irretrievably broken” and requested alimony.
Exotic has since found love with another man named John.
A federal judge resentenced Exotic to 21 years in prison in January, rejecting pleas from the former zookeeper to free him from prison.
(Netflix US/AFP via Getty Images)
A federal judge resentenced Exotic to 21 years in prison in January, rejecting pleas from the former zookeeper to free him from prison.
He was convicted in a murder-for-hire case involving animal welfare activist Carole Baskin. Both were featured in Netflix’s “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.”
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The 58-year-old was sentenced in January 2020 to 22 years in prison after he was convicted of trying to hire two different men to kill animal welfare activist Carole Baskin.
A three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with Maldonado-Passage that the court should have treated them as one conviction at sentencing because they both involved the same goal of killing Baskin, 60, who runs a rescue sanctuary for big cats in Florida and had criticized Maldonado-Passage’s treatment of animals.
Fox News’ Melissa Roberto contributed to this report.
