Michael Jackson's ex-wife Deborah Rowe is striking back at a woman who claimed in a TV interview that Rowe told her she didn't want custody of the pop star's children.

Rowe filed a defamation and invasion-of-privacy lawsuit against Rebecca White of Florida. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles late Thursday, seeks unspecified damages, but specifically targets any money that White may have been paid by TV show "Extra" for an interview that aired earlier this week.

An e-mail sent to a publicist for "Extra" seeking comment wasn't immediately returned. White couldn't immediately be reached for comment Friday.

Rowe's lawsuit states she hasn't communicated with White since Jackson's death last month.

In the interview, White claimed Rowe had emphatically stated in an e-mail exchange that she didn't want custody of Jackson's three children. Rowe had two children while married to the singer.