Eddie Murphy is threatening legal action against former lover Melanie Brown, accusing the Spice Girl of extortion and defamation. The actor's legal team has issued a cease and desists against Brown, demanding she stops using his name in press interviews.

In a letter to the star, Murphy accuses Brown of "disseminating disparaging, negative and defamatory statements" and making highly "unreasonable extortionate demands" regarding the care of their daughter Angel Iris.

According to Murphy's lawyer Marty Singer, Brown demanded he buy her a $9 million home in Malibu and allow her to live in it for the next 18 years. Brown and Murphy are embroiled in a bitter battle over child support payments for their four-month-old daughter.

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(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)