Mel Gibson's Wife Files for Divorce

Robyn Gibson, wife of actor Mel Gibson, has filed for divorce in Los Angeles after 29 years of marriage. Robyn stood by Mel after his 2006 drunk driving arrest during which he offended the police officers arresting him and most Jewish people around the world. There have also been rumors that Mel has been unfaithful.

The Gibsons have seven children – although only one is still a minor (Thomas, 10 years old). They were married in 1980, after Mel starred in Mad Max but before he skyrocketed to worldwide fame in the early and mid-’80’s. Thus,  most of his reported $900 million fortune is bound to be considered community property under California’s divorce laws. As such, Robyn is entitled to half of that sum.

Both TMZ.com and Us Magazine report that there was no prenuptial agreement. Any prenup signed in 1980, though, was unlikely to be upheld anyway, I would guess. In order for a prenup to be valid, it must be viewed as fair to each spouse under the circumstances – and, while Mel generated the income, he didn’t have much at the time of the marriage and Robyn did stick around for almost 30 years, raising seven kids. A judge would not deny her a healthy portion of the marital estate at this point.

Robyn’s divorce petition does not list a definite date of separation, stating “TBD” or “to be determined.” This is important as only assets accrued between the date of marriage and the date of separation are generally considered community property. If rumors that the couple has been separated for almost two and a half years are true, then anything earned by Mel since then would be considered his separate property. (He hasn’t acted much since the DUI arrest but has acted and produced in a few projects.)

She is also seeking spousal support and attorneys’ fees. Her divorce petition asks for joint custody of Thomas, for whom she will also undoubtedly receive child support.

Everyone’s favorite in the ’80s and early ’90s, Mel Gibson has had increasingly problems in the media in recent years. His uber-conservative religious beliefs, his ethnic slurs, his public intoxication and more have caused Hollywood’s former sweetheart to fall from grace (and the spotlight).

Robyn Gibson is being represented by L.A. divorce lawyer-to-the-stars Laura Wasser, who helped save Britney Spears from disaster on several occasions.

UPDATE: Mel Gibson filed his response to Robyn’s divorce petition a few hours after her filing. He set the date of separation at August 26, 2006, about a month after his DUI arrest. And he is represented by Robert Kaufman, who has previous represented Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Simpson, Reese Witherspoon among other celebs.