Although any divorce has the potential to become contentious and even downright nasty, celebrity divorces often seem this way because disagreements make for a juicier story in the press.
Deion Sanders’ estranged wife has filed a lawsuit in Collin County, Texas, against the former pro athlete and his daughter from a previous marriage. His company, Prime Time Enterprise, is also named as a defendant. His wife is suing for fraud, defamation, civil conspiracy, assault, battery and intentional infliction of mental distress. Her lawsuit appears to be a reaction to derogatory comments her stepdaughter posted on Twitter, allegedly calling her a gold digger and a liar.
“Deion Sanders thinks he is above the law — i.e. exempt from the laws that apply to everyone else,” the complaint starts. It goes on to say that “he leads his children and those around them by that example,” and lists the tweets of her stepdaughter, complaining Sanders did nothing about the comments. The lawsuit says she was humiliated by the comments and made to feel worthless.
“The defendants even used isolation tactics,” the suit says. “These tactics were designed to cut the plaintiff off from the outside world, keep her from seeing her family and friends … seeking career opportunities, responsibilities, and even required her to obtain permission to go places.”
She also says she was threatened and intimidated with assault and battery, verbal abuse and destruction of property. She’s seeking damages of $200 million.
It will be up to a judge to determine whether the claims are valid, but one fact seems clear: Sanders’ wife is angry and wants more money out of the divorce than most of us can expect to see in a lifetime.
Even if you and your spouse aren’t grappling over millions of dollars, you may know what it’s like to be in an angry legal battle with each other. Perhaps your sticking points are child custody or the division of your property. Maybe instead of the press, you’re waging a war on Facebook. Fighting is common during divorce, but you don’t have to go through it alone. An experienced family law attorney can guide you through the process before the fighting gets out of hand.
Source: Courthouse News Service, “Deion’s Divorce Takes a Turn Toward Nasty,” Bonnie Barron, March 1, 2012