Actor Morgan Freeman Divorcing

Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman and his wife of 24 years, Myrna Colley-Lee have confirmed, through a spokesperson, that they are divorcing. Freeman’s attorney told Access Hollywood that the two have been separated since December 2007. Interestingly, though, Freeman denied stories published last month that the couple was filing for divorce. Tabloids reported that Colley-Lee consulted with a divorce attorney after discovering that Freeman had been unfaithful.

News of the split comes on the heels of a single car accident involving Freeman earlier this week. A car Freeman was driving in Mississippi ran off the road and flipped several times, injuring the actor and his female companion, Demaris Meyer. Freeman lives in Charleston, Mississippi and owns a restaurant and nightclub in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

The divorce filing in this case could prove to be interesting. Mississippi has a no-fault divorce provision that can only be used if both parties agree to use it and agree to all other issues such as spousal support and property division. If the estranged spouses have not reached an agreement at the time the divorce is filed, the filing party must cite one of the Mississippi’s statutory grounds for divorce. Adultery, cruel and inhuman treatment and desertion are among the most commonly used grounds.

Freeman and Colley-Lee have no children. Freeman has grown children from a previous marriage.