Tim Duncan officially and secretly got divorced yesterday in a private, out-of-court hearing behind closed doors in San Antonio.
Duncan, the San Antonio Spurs superstar, and his wife Amy avoided the media and the paparazzi by finalizing their divorce at his attorney’s office. The presiding judge made a house call or more precisely an office call at the lunchtime divorce proceeding to end the marriage between the two former college sweethearts.
The divorce hearing did not appear on the court’s public docket either. The specifics of the divorce, i.e., property settlement, child custody, and whatnot, were not released and are likely under seal. The couple, who have two children, got married in July 2001. Duncan apparently has a prenuptial agreement with his ex-wife.
According to the San Antonio Express-News , “Several court observers saw the special request as unusual given that so-called ‘home’ visits by judges are not normally afforded to the general public.” Bexar County, Tex., Judge David A. Canales, who granted the Tim Duncan divorce, said, however, that “it wasn’t out of the ordinary for a judge to hold an on-the-record hearing off-site, though it was the first time he has been asked to do it.”
The divorce complaint was originally filed cryptically in May with the parties only identifying themselves by their initials. The divorce was put on hold during the NBA playoffs. Both their divorce petitions reportedly contained similar language without going into any detail as to what actually caused the breakup after 12 years: “The marriage has become insupportable because of discord or conflict of personalities between petitioner and respondent that destroys the legitimate ends of the marriage relationship and prevents any reasonable expectation of reconciliation.” Duncan met his wife at Wake Forest University where she was a cheerleader.
Celebrities for better or worse often get special treatment in the court system. Do you think it’s reasonable that Tim Duncan — who already enjoys a solid reputation for being low key and unassuming — was able to finalize is divorce in secret and away from the courthouse?
