Celebrity Divorce Blog | MyFamilyLaw » peter cook

Christie Brinkley and Ex Settled Latest Family Court Drama

K. McKinney — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 02:08:50 +0000

Christie Brinkley and her latest ex-husband Peter Cook can’t seem to figure out how to get along post-divorce. They were back in court in New York this week over custody and visitation issues. They ultimately settled their differences.

The former couple’s latest issues started last year over a school trip their son Jack was supposed to take to Egypt. (Hello?! A school trip to EGYPT?! Wow.) Cook was to accompany the school group but Jack was unable to travel because he did not have his passport. Cook accused Brinkley of failing to deliver the passport in order to interfere with his parenting time with Jack.

Brinkley claimed that she arranged for employees to drop it off when she had to unexpectedly be with a friend who had lost her mother.

Under their agreement, Brinkley is obliged to deliver passports for the children when necessary. Cook is also granted additional time with Jack to makeup for the time lost due to the canceled trip.

Both parties claimed victory outside the courtroom. “Ms. Brinkley is completely vindicated,” Peter Caronia, Brinkley’s lawyer, said in a statement. “The parties’ settlement approved by the judge today does not grant any of the requests in Peter Cook’s motion which dragged Ms. Brinkley back to court.”

“Mr. Cook was successful and got what he wanted, which was more parenting time with his children,” Cook’s lawyer Steven Kuhn told the media. “Ms. Brinkley isn’t to interfere with his time with his children.”

Cook had requested that Brinkley undergo anger-management therapy, that a parenting coordinator be assigned for the couple’s two children, and that a third party hold the kids’ passports. None of those requests was granted in the settlement.

Brinkley brought counterclaims against Cook, including an allegation that he had violated their confidentiality agreement, that also appear to be unaddressed in the settlement.

“Since Mr. Cook lost the custody battle in the divorce trial, he has staged a relentless smear campaign against Ms. Brinkley,” Caronia says. “Mr. Cook has tried repeatedly to tarnish Ms. Brinkley’s reputation by making defamatory statements during national television broadcasts, in print media and blogs. Ms. Brinkley chose not to exercise her right to hold Mr. Cook in clear violation of their original confidentiality agreement until Ms. Brinkley was served this unfounded and unwarranted court action at her children’s school holiday concert…”

Brinkley and Cook were divorced in July 2008 after a bitter and very public divorce trial.

Also See:

Christie Brinkley Divorce Case Heats Up

Christie Brinkley Divorce Trial Gets Ugly

Christie Brinkley Settles Divorce Case

2008 Celebrity Split Wrap-Up

K. McKinney — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 06:27:01 +0000

As 2008 comes to an end, I thought we could take a look back at the celebrities who took trips to divorce court this year. As usual, the list is not short. Quite a few couples called their family law attorneys and dug out copies of their prenups since January. Let’s take a look:

January

Comedian Tracy Morgan and Sabina Morgan – divorce papers re-filed in January after 22 years of marriage

February

Singer Pink (real name: Alecia Moore) and motocross racer Carey Hart – separated in February after two years of marriage
Rock drummer Travis Barker and former Miss USA Shanna Moakler – finalized divorce in February after 3 1/2 years of marriage
Actress Anna Faris and Benjamin Indra – ended a four year marriage in February

March

Model-actress Pamela Anderson and Rick Salomon – finalized annulment in March after a two month marriage
Actor Robin Williams and Marsha Garces Williams – split in March, ending a 19 year marriage
Jackass star/actor Johnny Knoxville and Melanie Clapp – divorced in March after 11 years of marriage. All other details of the split were finalized in September.
Music icon Paul McCartney and Heather Mills – finalized their bitter divorce in March, ending their six year marriage

And that’s just the first quarter! Click below to see who split up during the rest of 2008.

April

Comedian and TV personality Wayne Brady and Mandie Taketa – finalized their four-year long divorce in April
Actor David Hasselhoff and actress Pamela Bach – finalized their two year long divorce in April, wrapping up their almost 20 year marriage

May

Actor Gary Coleman and Shannon Price – appeared on the TV show Divorce Court in May, ending their eight month marriage
Singer Shania Twain and music producer Robert “Mutt” Lange – separated in May after 14 years of marriage. No word on whether the divorce is final or not.
Actress Liv Tyler and Royston Langdon – separated in May after four years of marriage (it’s not clear if this has been finalized yet)
Actor Kiefer Sutherland and Elizabeth Kelly Winn – finalized their four-year long divorce in May, nine years after they separated. (Looks like they were together for about three years of their almost 12 year marriage.)
Actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Dany Garcia Johnson – ended their 11 year marriage in May

June

Actress Anne Heche and Coleman Laffoon – divorced in June
Music mogul Russell Simmons and model/fashion designer Kimora Lee Simmons – divorce papers finally filed in June after a two year separation
Actors Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe – wrapped up their divorce in June, after nine years of marriage
Actor Bill Murray and Jennifer Butler Murray – quickly settled their divorce in June, ending their 11 year marriage

July

Supermodel Christie Brinkley and Peter Cook – settled their divorce in July after a very public and very bitter trial

August

Dixie Chick Emily Robison and singer-songwriter Charlie Robison – finalized their divorce in August after nine years of marriage
Actor/comedian Chris Kattan and model Sunshine Tutt – split after two months of marriage and a three-year relationship. He filed for legal separation in August. She responded with papers seeking divorce.
Singer Phil Collins and Orianne Cevey – finalized their pricey divorce in August, after nine years of marriage
Actor Tom Arnold and Shelby Roos – finalized their divorce after almost five years of marriage in August
New Kid on the Block/actor Donnie Wahlberg and Kim Fey – filed for divorce in August after eight year marriage
Actor Morgan Freeman and Myrna Colley-Lee – confirmed pending divorce in August, ending a 24 year marriage
Actor George Lazenby and tennis player Pam Shriver – divorce paperwork filed in August after six years of marriage
Actor Tate Donovan and Corinne Kingsbury – finalized their divorce in August, ending a two year marriage

September

TV personality Star Jones and Al Reynolds – reportedly settled their divorce in September, ending their four year marriage
Baseball player Alex Rodriguez and Cynthia Rodriguez – finalized their headline-making divorce in September after nearly six years of marriage

November

Former child actor Danny Bonaduce and Gretchen Bonaduce – finalized their divorce in November after 18 years of marriage
TV personality Debbie Matenopoulos and music executive Jay Faires – officially split in November after five years of marriage
Pop star Madonna and film director Guy Ritchie – finalized their divorce in November just a month shy of their eighth anniversary. A custody settlement is still in the works.
Former Full House star Jodie Sweetin and Cody Herpin – divorce papers filed in November after 16 months of marriage
Actress Kate Walsh and movie executive Alex Young – divorce papers filed in November after 14 months of marriage

December

Actors Dylan McDermott and Shiva Rose – divorce finalized in December, ending their 13 year marriage
Actors Marg Helgenberger and Alan Rosenberg – split announced in December after 19 years of marriage

We hope that you have had a better 2008 than these folks have! Happy New Year – we’ll be back with more on celebrity divorces, custody cases, paternity suits and child support fights in 2009!

Christie Brinkley Settles Divorce Case

K. McKinney — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:04:46 +0000

Staying up through the night, supermodel Christie Brinkley, her husband and now internationally-known cad Peter Cook and their attorneys Robert Cohen and Norman Sheresky finally settled their contentious divorce case at 6:00 a.m. this morning. Brinkley and Cook participated in over a week of trial in Central Islip Supreme Court. Testimony was bitter and embarassing.

The two had been battling over certain financial matters as well as custody and visitation of their two children, Jack and Sailor. Cook’s position as to both money and children was damaged by multiple witnesses reporting extramarital affairs, an internet pornography habit, covert payments of hush money to a mistress and cruel behavior towards the children. A psychologist hired by Brinkley to perform a custody evaluation testified that Cook has severe narcissistic personality disorder.

The agreement gives Brinkley sole legal and physical custody of the kids. She will therefore be allowed to make all final child-rearing decisions herself but must at least consult with Cook first on major issues. Cook get visitation every Wednesday and every other weekend. Brinkley also keeps 18 disputed pieces of real estate and a boat. She agreed to pay Cook $2.1 million, most of which will go towards his attorney’s fees. The other terms of the settlement remain confidential.

Christie Brinkley Divorce Trial Gets Ugly

K. McKinney — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 02:12:46 +0000

Just as expected, the Christie Brinkley-Peter Cook divorce trial started this week and things quickly got very ugly for Cook. The trial started on July 2nd in Central Islip Supreme Court in Suffolk County, New York (Long Island). Brinkley and Cook previously argued over whether or not the trial would be open to the public. Brinkley won that battle and the press has been all over the trial details, reporting witness testimony almost in real time.

Day One saw Cook take the stand and admit to an online pornography habit, trolling swinger’s websites and masturbating for strangers via webcam. Cook apparently spent $3,000 a month on internet porn.

The architect also admitted an extramarital affair with his then-18 year old office assistant, Diana Bianchi. He even testified that he hired her specifically with the intention of having sex with her. He paid Bianchi a $20,000 salary and regularly gave her cash gifts. When the affair ended, he gave her $300,000 to keep quiet about the relationship.

Bianchi, Bianchi’s stepfather (who revealed the relationship to Brinkley) and Alexa Ray Joel, Brinkley’s daughter with musician Billy Joel, also testified on the first day of trial.

Brinkley and a good friend of hers testified on the second day of trial. Neither revealed much in the way of new details.

Cook and his attorney Norman Sheresky made known their belief that Brinkley’s emotional anguish on the witness stand was merely acting and that the open hearing is Brinkley’s attempt at revenge.

Both Brinkley and Cook are seeking sole custody of their two children, Jack and Sailor. The custody phase of the trial begins Monday, July 7.

Source: New York Post, People

Christie Brinkley Divorce Case Heats Up

K. McKinney — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 05:43:22 +0000

In an unusual twist, former supermodel Christie Brinkley is fighting to keep her divorce case open to the public, including the press. Celebrities are notorious for seeking ways in which to keep their legal and personal battles away from the eyes and ears of the media. In this case, however, Brinkley feels that an open courtroom is the only way to repair her reputation from allegations and insinuations made by her estranged husband, architect Peter Cook.

Brinkley filed for divorce in July 2006 after 10 years of marriage. The former couple has two children: Sailor, age 9 and Jack, age 12 (Jack was Brinkley’s son by a former marriage but was adopted by Cook). An attorney appointed to represent the interests of the children (generally called a guardian ad litem) has asked the court to keep the proceedings closed to protect the children. Several media outlets have, of course, filed motions in support of Brinkley’s position.

The couple split when it was revealed that he had been having a year-long affair with his 18 year old intern/assistant. Cook has admitted the affair, saying “I’m sorry. I’m contrite. I’m stupid. Foolish. No excuse.” Sources now claim that Brinkley has more dirty laundry to air. And if she has it her way, it will be aired in a public courtroom. Brinkley will supposedly allege that Cook trolled Internet porn sites and regularly logged on to swingers sites in search of women.

The couple – both wealthy prior to their marriage – did apparently execute a prenuptial agreement. Newsday reports that Cook is challenging the prenup with regard to three boats and several New York properties as well as some personal property. New York is not a community property state. Instead, property is handled by equitable distribution. If the prenuptial agreement is found invalid or unenforceable, a judge will divide the marital property in a fair and just manner. Brinkley’s allegations regarding Cook’s behavior will be considered when the judge determines what exactly is “fair and just” in the circumstances.

New York does allow no-fault divorces where the parties have lived separately for at least one year. But Brinkley is clearly seeking an at-fault divorce on the grounds of adultery (and possibly cruelty, depending on the details of her further allegations). Her allegations could also potentially trigger provisions in the prenuptial agreement by which the property distribution would be altered if either party was guilty of gross misconduct within the marriage.

It is unclear whether the couple is still fighting over the custody of the children (although the continued presence of the guardian ad litem suggests that the permanent custody arrangement may still be up in the air). Cook’s behavior can also be taken into account for purposes of determining custody and visitation.

Brinkley is represented by Manhattan attorney Robert S. Cohen, who has previously represented NYC Mayor and billionaire Michael Bloomberg, actor James Gandolfini, music producer and Mariah Carey-ex Tommy Mottola and both of Donald Trump’s ex-wives, Ivana Trump and Marla Maples. Cook’s attorney is Norman Sheresky who represented Gandolfini’s wife in their divorce as well as many other wealthy New Yorkers. The Brinkley-Cook divorce trial is scheduled to begin in early July and is expected to last four weeks.

Source: Newsday