Ex-husband of ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ star drops defamation case

On Friday, Guobadia sought to voluntarily dismiss his case against Williams while maintaining the right to someday refile it. He said his claims have merit, but there is uncertainty surrounding his immigration status and he might not be able to comply with the court’s order that he physically attend trial in Atlanta.

“This motion is brought in good faith, not for purposes of delay or tactical advantage,” Guobadia told the court in a written filing, adding he “does not abandon his claims or retreat from the legal issues presented.”

A trial date has not been set in the case, which is pending in federal court. The parties were given until Feb. 17 to exchange all relevant evidence and other information.

Guobadia was deported in June 2025 after spending several months detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Stewart Detention Center in Southwest Georgia, court records show. His application for U.S. citizenship had been denied in January 2024. He now lives in the United Arab Emirates.

Williams has not yet responded in court to Guobadia’s case dismissal request. Her attorney did not immediately respond Monday to questions about the case.

Guobadia’s lawyer, Alcide Honoré, declined to comment while the motion is pending.

In his defamation lawsuit, Guobadia claimed Williams intentionally humiliated him with public Instagram posts about erectile dysfunction several months after their separation in early 2024. He claimed the posts and associated media coverage damaged his personal and professional reputation.

Guobadia persuaded U.S. District Judge Mark Cohen to let two of his four claims proceed against Williams over her initial attempt to have the case thrown out.

In a March 2025 order, the judge ended one of Guobadia’s defamation claims and a claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress at Williams’ request, but allowed another defamation allegation and a claim for invasion of privacy to proceed.

The judge said although the posts did not directly name Guobadia, he had sufficiently alleged they were about him. The judge also noted that Williams’ posts, taken literally, comprised objective health information about erectile dysfunction.

If Guobadia’s dismissal request is granted, he and Williams will each bear their attorney fees and litigation costs associated with the case to date.

The couple married in November 2022. At that time, Guobadia’s net worth was more than $322 million, largely because of his Simcol Petroleum business, court records show.

Williams’ petition for divorce and related bid to enforce a prenuptial agreement against Guobadia was granted by a Fulton County judge in July 2025.

Guobadia was ordered to pay Williams $40,000 a month for 14 months plus almost $250,000 in attorney fees. She also got their multimillion-dollar marital home in Atlanta.

In the divorce, Guobadia argued his Atlanta-based company had lost all value since his deportation. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Charles Eaton rejected that notion, saying in a final judgment that it “strains credibility,” in part because Guobadia had previously operated the business from overseas without issue.