According to the Associated Press, Caren Forbes filed for divorce from her husband Walter in the Bridgeport Superior court last January, citing their marriage was “irretrievably” broken.

Walter Forbes was the CEO for the company Cendant, which owns the well-known brands Ramada, Howard Johnson, Avis, Coldwell Banker and Century 21.

But he was allegedly involved in fraud schemes within the company and was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2007. He was convicted of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and two counts of making false statements.

In addition to jail time, Walter Forbes was ordered to pay restitution for his part in the fraud schemes that cost his company and its investors $3 billion.

While filing for divorce last year, Caren requested that all the property from her imprisoned husband be transferred and put in her name.

Federal Prosecutors requested to intervene in the divorce proceedings. USA Today reported that the prosecution believed the divorce request was a ploy and the couple merely wanted to avoid paying their penalties.

They claimed the couple made attempts to avoid paying restitution, and they stated that Walter Forbes sold his wife Caren their $6 million home for just $10 in 1999.

Both attorneys representing the estranged couple deny the allegations that their clients made any attempts to avoid paying restitution.

The Federal Prosecution was recently allowed to be a third party involved in the divorce proceedings.

Judge Howard Owens issued a recent ruling that made Caren Forbes transfer ownership of their homes in Connecticut and Wisconsin back to her ex-husband, as well as half of the jewelry and art collection.

Both Cendant and the government will regain $3.3 billion owed to them.

Caren was also ordered to transfer 14 acres of land back to Walter’s name.

In the divorce decree, Caren was able to keep a couple of condos, a golf membership, and half of their art and jewelry collection. The other half will be sold to help settle the restitution.

Copyright © 2009 TotalDivorce, Inc. (as licensee). All rights reserved.

CNN reported that Jon and Kate Gosselin made their divorce final by a Pennsylvania judge.

Their long public battle came to an end with Kate receiving custody of their eight children and a separation of the couple’s assets.

The couple was married for 10 years and shared their married life with America. Their hit reality show – Jon & Kate plus Ei8ht – ran for five seasons when they made it public they were filing for divorce.

The last episode showcased the separated couple interacting with their children without the other parent around. They discussed their ending marriage and pending divorce.

Kate’s attorney stated she will reside with the kids in their former marital home since she received full child custody.

Judge Arthur Tilsen presided over the divorce proceedings. Both parties decided that Kate would get full custody of their children while Jon received visitation rights with the kids.

The judge ordered Jon to pay child support. Neither Jon nor Kate will receive alimony.

According to Kate’s attorney, Marc Momjian, Kate is happy to have the divorce finalized and the whole ordeal behind her.

She said in a statement, “I’m very relieved that our divorce has been finalized and I look forward to the New Year, focusing on the children.”

According to an article in the New York Daily News, Kate continued to say how the divorce has been a difficult obstacle in all their lives. Now everyone can look forward to rebuilding their lives and move on after the divorce.

Jon’s attorney Mark Jay Heller stated the couple now wants to do what’s best for their family since the divorce has been finalized.

As for now, Kate is in the works to have her own reality TV show – minus Jon and the kids. Kate has gone solo after the divorce.

Jon has been ordered by a Maryland judge to stop making appearances that TLC views as violation of their contract.

The Gosselin divorce and public fighting has reached an end for now, and the family is now set to move on with their lives.

Copyright © 2009 TotalDivorce, Inc. (as licensee). All rights reserved.

The 2000s have been a decade full of divorce news – with plenty of scandal and drama to go around. Total Divorce has chosen 10 celebrity couples who have ended their marriages – the ones we feel are the most memorable of the decade.

Did we miss one? Tell us which celebrity divorce of the ’00s was the most memorable for you. Leave a comment below!

• Bruce Willis & Demi Moore, Oct. 2000: This Hollywood couple was married for 13 years before their divorce was final in 2000. According to Britain’s Daily Mail, the couple remains one of the happiest divorces in Hollywood. The couple split in 1998, but the divorce wasn’t official until 2000. They have three daughters, and the two remain good friends and parents.
• Nicole Kidman & Tom Cruise, Aug. 2001: After more than 10 years of marriage, Cruise filed for divorce in Jan. 2001, having just renewed marriage vows a month earlier, according to ABC News. Kidman was later quoted saying she believes Cruise found a deeper love with Katie Holmes as she had found with Keith Urban.
• Harrison Ford, Jan. 2004: The Indiana Jones star was married to screenwriter Melissa Mathison for 18 years, but the couple separated in 2001. Ford dated Calista Flockhart for two years before the divorce was finalized in 2004.
• Jennifer Aniston & Brad Pitt, Aug. 2005: The couple met in 1998 and married in 2000 in an elaborate $1 million wedding. Pitt was accused of having an affair with Angelina Jolie, though he never acknowledged the rumors as being true, according to ABC News. In 2005, the couple filed for divorce, and a few months after it was final, Pitt and Jolie started dating.
• Jessica Simpson & Nick Lachey, Dec. 2005: This pop-star couple married in 2002, and starred in the MTV reality series “Newlyweds,” a career move that helped them both immensely, according to MTV News. Citing ‘irreconcilable differences,’ the couple split in Nov. 2005 and filed divorce a month later.
• Paul McCartney, May 2006: The former Beatle married Heather Mills in 2002, and after four years of marriage, the couple together decided to divorce, stating that they still care about each other very much, according to Britain’s Daily Mail. Mills offered to sign a prenup, but McCartney refused, so the divorce could have cost him about £200 million.
• Britney Spears, Nov. 2006: The pop star’s marriage to dancer/rapper Kevin Federline ended in 2006 when Spears filed for divorce in California. This was a high-drama case because of the couple’s two sons and the amount of public knowledge about their marriage, according to NBC News.
• Michael Jordan, Dec. 2006: The NBA All-Star married his wife Juanita in 1989, and after 17 years of marriage, they mutually agreed it was time to end it. Jordan’s divorce isn’t necessarily memorable because of any scandal – but according to Forbes.com, it was the most expensive divorce, costing Jordan $150 million.
• Jon & Kate, June 2009: The Gosselins have been all over the news in the past six months – closing the decade with a bang as far as celebrity divorce is concerned. The reality TV couple decided to end their 10-year marriage after a scandal involving Jon surfaced, according to People Magazine. Their eight kids will remain a huge part of both their lives.
• Tiger Woods, Nov. 2009: While no official divorce papers have been filed, after his admittance to infidelity and his fight with his wife, Elin Nordegren, it seems filing for divorce may be the next step for the well-known pro golfer.

Copyright © 2009 TotalDivorce, Inc. (as licensee). All rights reserved.

Since the high-profile professional golfer was caught cheating on his wife earlier this fall, there has been a question as to whether Tiger Woods will face divorce.

According to People Magazine, Woods’ net worth totals more than $600 million. So what, exactly, would a divorce mean for Tiger?

Woods and his wife, Elin Nordegren, have two young children together – Sam, who is two years old, and Charlie, who is just 10 months.

Not only will the couple have to deal with child custody issues in the event of a divorce, but also a division of assets. People Magazine reported that the couple had a prenuptial agreement drawn up before their 2004 marriage – but prenups don’t always hold up in court.

According to Scott Altman, a family law professor at the University of Southern California, when huge wealth is involved in a divorce case, typically the spouse who makes the money gets to keep it; however, in the case that the other spouse has become used to a certain luxury lfiestyle, the bread-winning spouse may be ordered by court to help maintain such a lifestyle.

Nothing is yet official in Tiger Woods’ potential divorce case, but if Nordegren does serve Woods with divorce papers, the assets the couple has may not necessarily be distributed equally – but fairly.

Altman said that Woods’ infidelity should have nothing to do with a prenuptial agreement, and despite his admittance of infidelity, a divorce between the couple should proceed as it would under any other circumstances.

Copyright © 2009 TotalDivorce, Inc. (as licensee). All rights reserved.

South Carolina’s first lady, Jenny Sanford, filed for divorce last week after Gov. Mark Sanford admitted to an affair with a woman in Argentina back in June, the New York Times reported.

The couple has been separated since this summer – shortly after Gov. Sanford admitted the affair. The Sanfords attempted to reconcile the marriage; however, Ms. Sanford said that the efforts were not successful. She wishes to keep the divorce process as painless as possible for herself, her husband and their four sons.

The governor said that divorce is not the route he thought the couple would be forced to take, but since that is what it has come to, he does accept full responsibility for what he calls the “moral failure” that led to divorce.

Because of his actions, Gov. Sanford has had to deal with ethical violation charges, he’s been asked to resign and there has been talk of impeachment.

Last week, it was decided not to recommend impeachment, so the governor will finish his term. His wife has already endorsed another candidate for the next gubernatorial race – State Representative Nikki Haley – the only female in the race.

Copyright © 2009 TotalDivorce, Inc. (as licensee). All rights reserved.

Famous R&B singer Usher, formally know as Usher Raymond V, divorced his wife Tameka after two years of marriage.

The couple married in Atlanta back in 2007 at a lavish wedding in front of more than 200 guests.

According to a USA Today article, the marriage didn’t seem to be working out, and Usher filed for divorce on June 12 of this year. He stated he filed because there was, “no reasonable hope of reconciliation,” and the marriage was, “irretrievably broken.”

Usher stated the couple had been separated since July 2008 in the court hearing. According to a CNN article, Usher apparently had denied this fact before – stating he loved his wife and that they were not having any marital issues.

“I love my wife very, very much. There was a little rumor earlier this week about us separating. It ain’t true. We in love.”

Tameka Raymond stated in the court papers that the couple was not separated since 2008. She claimed she, “had every reason to believe her marriage was intact and that they were intimately together as husband and wife as recently as June 6th.”

Most of Usher’s fan base did not like Tameka, and many are happy to see the couple divorced, CNN reported.

When they first married many thought – and hoped – that the marriage would not last. Tameka had already been married and had three children by her first husband. When she married Usher, some fans seemed to believe she married the young pop star for his money.

According to the CNN article, Usher’s mother was unhappy with the marriage. The article stated, “the word was his mother Joanna Patton didn’t approve of their relationship – a fact that seemed for many to be confirmed when Usher replaced Patton as his longtime manager soon after the wedding.”

The estranged couple has two young sons together, Usher Raymond V and Naviyd Ely Raymond. Usher requested joint custody for the kids, but it is still unknown if any child custody agreement was reached with the final divorce decree.

Copyright © 2009 TotalDivorce, Inc. (as licensee). All rights reserved.

Fame, fortune and divorce can be a toxic combination. Every little piece of information can be brought to light in an instant.

It appears at this point in time that Jon and Kate Gosselin are the “it divorce couple.” But they are not the first celebs to battle out their divorce in public.

Let’s flash back to the long list of A- and B-list celebrities hashing out their divorce in the public eye.

For starters  – Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards – they went back and forth like a tennis match in their long divorce battle. The biggest scene occurred when Sheen battled Richards’ voice mail spewing out profane language and engaging in name calling. Soon after the incident, Richards released the voice message to the public.  Oops.

Next there is Christie Brinkley and her ex Peter Cook – they had a long divorce trial entailing Cook’s affair with his 18-year-old assistant and his sex scandals via webcam.

According to the New York Daily News, the two recently went back to court. They each accused one another of violating the terms of their divorce settlement. Cook stated Brinkley was in contempt of court for “custodial interference” and Brinkley claimed that Cook went on television shows to speak about their divorce, which was a big no-no.

Moving on with the history lesson – many celebs fought over child custody – both parents wanting full guardianship over their children.

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline made it through their divorce with minor complications. Their big battle involved child custody.

In January of 2008, Spears refused to bring the kids over to Federline’s at the designated meeting time. Instead she took the children back to her house and kept them there for two hours. The police eventually entered the home and forcefully removed Britney from the premises.

Spears was taken to the hospital for further observation. The couple initially had joint custody but Federline filed for a 70/30 custody order in which he would retain the children for most of the time.

In another custody battle – Kim Basinger and ex Alec Baldwin fought an intense six year battle over their young daughter Ireland. With the court’s approval, Baldwin called his daughter one day only to receive her voicemail.
This allegedly set him off and he left a message that ultimately cost him his visitation rights for a period of time. He said, “You are a rude, thoughtless little pig. You have humiliated me for the last time.”

Baldwin claims the Basinger released the voicemail to media, but she denied the allegations.

Jon and Kate appear to be on the same track as their predecessors; with the back and forth, he said/she-said arguments. Only time will tell how it all works out in the end.

Copyright © 2009 TotalDivorce, Inc. (as licensee). All rights reserved.

‘… leave the one I’m with.’

Which is exactly what pop music star Usher decided to do back in June when he filed for divorce with his wife, Tameka Foster Raymond due to irreconcilable differences in the marriage.

According to the Associated Press, the couple’s divorce is now finalized per the Superior Court in Fulton County, Ga.

Usher, 31, and Tameka Raymond have two children from the marriage.

Usher’s divorce lawyer, Ivory Brown, could not comment on the case. No details about child custody or support have yet been released, but Usher was seeking joint custody according to his filing papers.

Copyright © 2009 TotalDivorce, Inc. (as licensee). All rights reserved.

High-profile couple Frank and Jamie McCourt, the owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers major league baseball team, seem to be heading toward a divorce.

According to a CBS report, Frank McCourt owns the L.A. Dodgers, while Jamie is the CEO for the ball club – at least until she was fired last week after an alleged affair with her bodyguard.

The McCourts have been married for 30 years – and there are several assets, including four homes across the U.S., at stake. Based on other news reports, there does not appear to be a way to end this union in a friendly fashion.

Although Jamie allegedly committed adultery against her husband, she is still seeking to own the baseball team and all four houses, as well as collect a monthly alimony of nearly $500,000.

Jamie McCourt’s divorce lawyer stated that the couple lived a lavish lifestyle while they were together, and she should be entitled to continue such a lifestyle.

Frank McCourt says the Dodgers are not for sale. No other details are currently available about the McCourts’ potential divorce.

Copyright © 2009 TotalDivorce, Inc. (as licensee). All rights reserved.

This morning TLC announced that essentially Jon Gosselin had been fired from it’s hit show “Jon and Kate Plus Eight.”

As of November 2nd, Jon Gosselin will no longer be a star of the program, and the program will change to “Kate Plus 8.”

“Given the recent changes in the family dynamics, it only makes sense for us to refresh and recalibrate the program to keep pace with the family,” CNN reported TLC President Eileen O’Neill as saying.

People interviewed with a source close to Jon: “Given Jon’s recent antics, there was no way the show could continue to portray him as a doting Dad, not while all this other crap was going on.”

The series first aired on April 16, 2007, portraying a happy couple coping with raising a set of twins and sextuplets.

But after 10 years of marriage, the couple announced they would be filing for divorce. Ratings soared as news leaked of the couple’s marriage trouble.

The premiere of the fifth season had 9.8 million viewers, and it was the most watched show that Monday night.

“The family has evolved, and we are attempting to evolve with it,” O’Neill said. “We feel that Kate’s journey really resonates with our viewers. Additionally, the network is in development on a Kate project for 2010.”

Copyright © 2009 TotalDivorce, Inc. (as licensee). All rights reserved.