The complaint filed by Mario Williams in a Houston lawsuit over a $785,000 engagement ring accuses his ex-fiancee, Erin Marzouki, of gold-digging, alleging that she never intended to marry him.
Now Marzouki's attorney, Tony Buzbee, is firing back, citing the Buffalo Bills defensive end's emotional instability as the reason the engagement was called off.
Top 100 Players of 2013
Make sure you vote for the Top 100 players of 2013. Voting ends May 31. Get your vote in. More ...
"It was only after Ms. Marzouki refused to take him back that he became angry and filed this frivolous case," Buzbee said Friday, via the Houston Chronicle, after the sides couldn't reach a settlement in a three-hour mediation hearing.
Buzbee said Williams broke off the engagement at least five times. Buzbee also released a three-page series of text messages that Williams allegedly sent to Marzouki, showing the two-time Pro Bowl pick in a disturbed state.
"I took 3 hydrocodones this morning and no one knows," Williams allegedly texted Marzouki. "I'm going to take 2 more on the plane and fade away." He allegedly went on to text, "No money in the world should leave me with suicidal thoughts."
Marzouki, also a former Houston Texans employee, responded, "You told me you're having suicidal thoughts. Clearly me & you don't need to talk after every mean thing you said to me, but I'm going to tell DD to call you or something BC you went above and beyond saying suicidal thoughts, taking pills. Someone that you trust needs to intervene."
Williams appears to be on the receiving end of bad legal advice. Texas law awards the engagement ring to a woman if a man breaks off the relationship. Williams stands to lose the ring while also taking a roundhouse blow to his reputation.
UPDATE: Williams said the pain killers were prescribed and dispensed by the Bills, and he has not had suicidal thoughts, The Buffalo News reported Monday.
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.
