Court Docs List John Edwards As Father Of Rielle's Child

Court documents suggest John Edwards is father of Rielle Hunter's baby -- and now it's time to pay


John Edwards has never admitted to fathering a love child with a one-time staffer, but new legal documents suggest the failed presidential hopeful is the baby's daddy - and may soon have to pay up big-time.

The new documents detail an ongoing money battle between Edwards and Rielle Hunter, 45, whom Edwards has admitted bedding even as his wife, Elizabeth, discovered she had cancer.

Edwards has never copped to fathering little Frances Quinn Hunter, now almost two years old.

But the documents, first reported by the National Enquirer and posted online yesterday by radaronline.com, include an eight-page "Family Part Case Information Statement" listing "Rielle Hunter" as the plaintiff and "John Edwards" as the defendant.

The document identifies "custody," "parenting time" and "child support" as the issues in dispute, and names Rielle and "John Edwards" of Chapel Hill, N.C., as the parties.

The kicker: Little Frances is named as a "child...from this relationship."

The paperwork was prepared by Hunter's attorney, Frank Louis, and at the very least establishes that the blonde divorcee believes Edwards is legally responsible for the girl - and should have to pay up.

Hunter is seeking more than $17,000 a month from Edwards, a tab that includes some pretty high-end demands, the documents show.

She wants $800 a month for eating out, $400 a month for "club dues and memberships" and $1,200 a month for a security guard - apparently to keep the paparazzi at bay.

She also believes Edwards - who famously paid $400 for a haircut during his presidential run - should pay her $250 a month to trim her and Frances' locks.

The documents emerged at the same time that reports have swirled that Edwards purchased a four-bedroom, $535,000 home for Hunter to live in in Charlotte.

A report in the Charlotte Business Journal this week noted that the handsome, brick-faced home remains empty. The purchaser is listed only The Providence Road Trust, it reported.

More bad news may be just around the corner for Edwards.

ABC News has announced that it will air an exclusive interview next month with Andrew Young, another Edwards staffer who once claimed to have been the father of Hunter's child.

Young will discuss his upcoming book, "The Politician," in which which he reportedly asserts that Edwards is the true father of the baby and that his prior claim of paternity was part of an elaborate cover-up.

Young hasn't spoken publicly since saying he was the father in 2007 and has repeatedly ignored requests for news interviews.





ABC to interview ex-Edwards aide about sex scandal


ABC News will air an exclusive interview next month with the man who once claimed to have fathered the child of former Sen. John Edwards' mistress, the network said Wednesday.

ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff's interview with Andrew Young will air Jan. 29 on "20/20." Young was a longtime friend and aide to Edwards, the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2004.

Young will discuss his upcoming book, "The Politician," an account of Edwards' 2004 campaign and the Rielle Hunter scandal, the network said.

Hunter's video production firm worked for Edwards' political action committee before his second run for the White House, which ended in 2008. In an interview with Woodruff last year, Edwards admitted to an affair with Hunter but denied he had a child with her.

In October, The New York Times reported it had obtained a book proposal from Young. According to the newspaper, Young's proposal contended that he helped facilitate Edwards' affair with Hunter, and that Edwards had a child with her and worked with his campaign finance chairman to hide the secret.

Young hasn't spoken publicly since saying he was the father in 2007 and has repeatedly ignored requests for news interviews.

A spokeswoman for Edwards declined comment Wednesday.

Young will follow his "20/20" interview with a Feb. 2 appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America" with new co-host George Stephanopoulos.



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Sources: NY Daily News, McClatchy Newspapers, Charlotte Observer, Google Maps