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Ex-husband of Matt Barnes' fiancée reportedly files lawsuit over 49ers game spitting incident

Barnes himself has received a temporary restraining order against David Patterson Jr.

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 17:  NBA player Matt Barnes attends GQ Celebrates The 2018 All-Stars In Los Angeles at Nomad Hotel Los Angeles on February 17, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.  (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images)
There is some ugliness going on in Matt Barnes' personal life. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images) (Leon Bennett via Getty Images)

Matt Barnes' feud with the ex-husband of his fiancée is reportedly headed to the courts.

David Patterson Jr., who was previously married to Barnes' fiancée Anansa Sims, filed a lawsuit against Barnes in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday alleging the former NBA player committed battery, assault and emotional distress during an incident at last weekend's San Francisco 49ers vs. Dallas Cowboys game, according to TMZ.

Video emerged of Barnes spitting on Patterson during a heated exchange earlier this week.

In his lawsuit, Patterson reportedly claims he was not aware Barnes would be attending the NFL divisional playoff game between the Niners and Cowboys on Sunday, but the two coincidentally ran into each other on a Levi's Stadium concourse.

Patterson, who is reportedly seeking unspecified damages, alleges the two started yelling at each other from about 20 feet away, at which point Barnes allegedly walked up to him and spat in his face. He also claims multiple cellphone cameras captured the incident and that Barnes has harassed and threatened him repeatedly in the past.

Those claimed threats allegedly include text messages calling Patterson a "bitch," "clown" and "fat f***" as well as one message in 2022 that said, "Pull up & get your ass whooped in front of your kids. I'm done talking."

Matt Barnes' side of the spitting story

One day earlier, however, Barnes, who hosts the popular "All the Smoke" podcast with fellow ex-NBA player Stephen Jackson, was granted a temporary restraining order against Patterson after claiming that basically the opposite sequence of events occurred.

Per TMZ, Barnes alleged Patterson has been harassing him over the past few months, at one point threatening to shoot him with a gun, and "hunted" him down during the Niners game. It was only after Patterson "aggressively confronted" him and allegedly shoved him that Barnes claims he spit at Patterson, whom he claims has been "trying to bait me to damage my reputation and hurt my career."

Under the temporary restraining order, Patterson is reportedly required to have no contact with Barnes and stay 100 yards away from him. He has also been ordered to have no firearms.

The temporary restraining order will reportedly run through Feb. 16, at which point a hearing is scheduled to determine if Barnes should receive a permanent restraining order.

Barnes himself has received a temporary restraining order in the past over the situation, as Patterson's girlfriend reportedly alleged last October that he was mistreating Patterson's three older children with Sims. He has also had disputes with Sims, with whom he later reconciled, and his ex-wife.