Zac Brown ‘Took the Steps Necessary’ to Protect Family With Kelly Yazdi Lawsuit, Singer Says

Brown, who is separated from estranged wife Kelly Yazdi, tells Billboard he wishes to “protect my family from online harassment and speculation.”

Zac Brown of Zac Brown Band performs onstage during the 2022 iHeartCountry Festival at Moody Center on May 7, 2022 in Austin, Texas.

Rick Kern/Getty Images for iHeartRadio

Zac Brown has released a statement regarding a lawsuit filed against estranged wife Kelly Yazdi. On Saturday (May 18), Billboard obtained a response from the Zac Brown Band frontman’s representative, which can be read in full below.

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“After much deliberation, I took the steps necessary to enforce an agreement between us to maintain personal and business affairs in confidence and to protect my family from online harassment and speculation,” Brown says in a statement to Billboard. “My only hope is for us to keep private matters private and to move forward with the mutual respect we had agreed to show one another when we parted ways.”

Reports that the country star filed a lawsuit against Yazdi circulated on Friday, when TMZ obtained court documents that alleged an Instagram post on Yazdi’s feed violated a confidentiality agreement she signed with Brown. The publication reported the singer requested a temporary restraining order that would force Yadzi to remove the post.

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The post of Yadzi’s that led to the lawsuit being filed has not been identified.

Brown and Yazdi’s divorce was announced in late December, four months after the couple married. Their wedding marked Brown’s second marriage; the singer shares five children with his former wife Shelly Brown.

“We are in the process of divorce,” Brown and Yazdi said in a Dec. 29 statement. “Our mutual respect for one another remains. We wish each other the best and will always appreciate our time together. As we navigate this personal matter, we simply request privacy during this time.”

Brown has charted 35 songs with the Zac Brown Band on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart, including 17 top 10s and eight No. 1s, beginning with their 2008 breakthrough hit “Chicken Fried.”

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