Terrence Howard has won his spousal support battle with Michelle Ghent.

The 'Empire' actor sought to get his divorce settlement from his second wife - who he married in January 2010, but split from 11 months later, with their divorce finalised in May 2013 - thrown out on grounds he signed it under duress and a Los Angeles Superior Court judge has sided with his claim, TMZ reports.

Michelle had wanted the 46-year-old actor to pay more than his current $5,800-a-month agreement because of his recent success on 'Empire', but the judge agreed she had blackmailed him with threats of releasing naked photos and videos.

However, the judge also admonished Terrence over allegations of domestic abuse while delivering the ruling.

They said: ''Terrence is a bully, but that doesn't mean he can't be bullied.''

The former couple will now have to go back to family court to work out a new agreement and Michelle could even end up paying money back to her former husband.

Terrence previously claimed in court that he signed his divorce settlement with Michelle under duress as she threatened to leak embarrassing footage of him, as well as audio of him engaging in phone sex with other women.

Michelle's lawyer asked Terrence why he said he loved her in an October 2013 phone call when he claimed she tried to extort him just a year earlier.

He responded: ''I loved her, and I was afraid of her also.''