Even though American Express is seeking more than $15,000 from her, the wife of former D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown says she doesn't owe the credit card giant a penny.

Marcia Brown said in a court filing that she "denies she owes [American Express] the amount it seeks." She also said that she did not enter into any written agreement with the company and that the statute of limitations on American Express' claim had passed.

American Express filed suit in April, claiming that Brown had an unpaid balance of $15,647.79. The suit was the fifth in recent years against Kwame or Marcia Brown for delinquent credit card accounts.

In her filing, Marcia Brown asked a D.C. judge to dismiss American Express' suit and order the company to pay the costs of her defense. She also asked the court to "award additional favorable relief."

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The lawsuit made headlines in May after Kwame Brown blasted the Washington City Paper for reporting the dispute at all.

"My family's private matters are just that: private," Brown said. "I am deeply disappointed and concerned that the Washington City Paper has chosen to attack my wife in an effort to disparage me."

The weekly newspaper defended its reporting and said it chose to publish the story because the lawsuit was a public record concerning a prominent city official.

Brown resigned in June after prosecutors charged him with bank fraud and a violation of city campaign finance laws. He will be sentenced in September.

ablinder@washingtonexaminer.com