NOVEMBER 20--The ex-wife of comedian Steve Harvey claims that she was conned into a quickie divorce engineered by the entertainer and his lawyer, who allegedly sought to keep private details about the star's adultery, poor and neglectful parenting, and "physical and mental abuse" of his ex-spouse.

In a lawsuit filed against her ex-lawyer, Mary Harvey claims that she was defrauded by the comedian and the couple's longtime attorney, who represented both sides in their November 2005 divorce. Harvey alleges that she was unaware of her right to independent counsel and, as a result, was severely shortchanged when it came to alimony, division of community property, and child support.

In her District Court complaint, filed yesterday in Harris County, Texas, Harvey claims that the couple's attorney, Ricky Anderson, told her she could not legally get more than $1000 monthly in child support for the couple's son. Harvey alleges that Anderson was actually looking out for Steve Harvey's interests, and sought to protect his client's "packaged, do-good, likeable, Christian-type image in the public eye."

Anderson and the comedian sought to "quickly and quietly dispose of the divorce" because there were "many things that Steve Harvey...did during the Harveys' marriage that he did not want the public to know about," Mary Harvey charges in her lawsuit, which was first reported by Courthouse News.

Those "things," the complaint alleges, included "Steve Harvey's adultery, his abandonment of some of his children, his poor and neglectful parenting of the parties' child, and physical and mental abuse of Plaintiff." Harvey's complaint, an excerpt of which you'll find here, charges Anderson with breach of contract, professional negligence, and conspiracy. (9 pages)