When we last posted on the Bethenny Frankel – Jason Hoppy divorce, all indications pointed towards an amicable split. The couple was still living in their New York City loft, and neither party had filed paperwork to initiate the process. These actions suggested that they were following a common blueprint for collaborative divorce.
Just as how quickly January turns into February, things have certainly changed between Frankel and Hoppy. Since our last post Frankel has filed her petition, in which she asks for primary custody of the couple’s daughter, child support, as well as possession of the loft. Hoppy has since fired back with an answer, where he also seeks primary custody, child support payments, and of course…the couple’s loft.
Moreover, Frankel is asking the court to enforce the prenuptial agreement the parties signed just before their wedding, which ostensibly would protect her fortune that was made through her book sales, the Skinnygirl margarita sale, and her burgeoning talk show career.
So much for the notion of amicable split.
While the filings may suggest that further battles are on the horizon, it is important to understand that filings are merely requests to the court. Indeed, they may imply some measure of contempt, but the court cannot grant what a party does not request. Also, parties commonly change their minds during the course of negotiations and often end up compromising. As such, the final decree may look vastly different from what a party originally requested in their petition.
Suffice it to say, the warning shots fired through their petitions may not amount to much once negotiations begin.
Source: US Weekly.com, Bethenny Frankel’s husband Jason Hoppy files aggressive new divorce papers, January 24, 2013