Judge rules on Justin Jefferson's paternity case, establishing him as father to baby girl
A family court judge in New Jersey has officially ruled that Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is the father of a baby girl following a lawsuit by the baby’s mother, Andrea Galea, to establish paternity. The judge, Aldo J. Russo stated in the court order last month that “interim child support obligation” has been agreed upon between Jefferson and the child’s mother.
According to reporting from the DailyMail, the Vikings star did not want Galea to have the baby, now named Stella, after learning that she was pregnant following their dalliance in April of last year. Text messages exchanged between the pair revealed that the woman, who also attended LSU, told the former Tigers standout that she took Plan B, the emergency contraceptive, but that it didn’t work. She wanted to proceed with having the baby, but Jefferson wasn’t keen on continuing a relationship, asking her if she would get it “situated.”
In January, Jefferson filed an injunction to attempt to prevent Galea from sharing information about the child on social media. Judge Russo’s recent order established a framework for visits, and required both parents remain in contact about the child while maintaining civility.
“All communication between the parties shall be in a non-derogatory, non-harassing manner only about the health, education, and well-being of the minor child,” Russo wrote. “A party receiving a communication shall respond to that communication within 6 hours or less.”
Jefferson is ruled ‘the father’ following paternity lawsuit
After Jefferson attempted to stop Galea from taking the baby on a trip to Italy this summer, the judge also ruled that he had no standing.
“For the reasons placed on the record, [Jefferson’s] emergent application for an OTSC [order to show cause] to prevent [Galea] from traveling to Italy with the minor child is denied as the court finds that [Jefferson] has not met the burden of proof to establish immediate and irreparable harm as defined in Crowe v DeGioa, 90 NJ 126 (1982),” the court document stated.
“[Galea] may travel to Capri, Italy with the minor child from July 1, 2024 to July 12, 2024,” the order continued. “By June 30, 2024, [Galea] shall provide [Jefferson] a detailed itinerary, including flight information, locations, and telephone numbers where the child and parent may be reached during the trip.”
This offseason, Jefferson signed an extension to become the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback. He inked a new deal for four years and $140 million with $110 million guaranteed to stay with the Vikings for several more seasons.