It seemed like the Bill Murray divorce was on the verge of getting super ugly. First, his wife Jennifer came out swinging, calling the actor an abusive, drug-addicted alcoholic. Then, Bill shot back the Jennifer was a drunk and a pill popper who wasn’t so nice to their kids. Just when things looked like they were going to escalate to something of Richards/Sheen proportions, the couple quietly settled their divorce.
A month after after his wife sued him for divorce in a shocking filing alleging abuse and infidelity, Bill Murray and Jennifer Butler Murray have worked out an agreement to end their marriage.
According to court documents dated June 13 and obtained by TMZ.com, Butler Murray, 42, has been granted primary custody of their four children and will keep the couple’s homes in Hemet, Calif. and Sullivan’s Island, S.C. Bill Murray, 57, must pay child support and will keep other property in California, New York and Massachusetts.
Bill Murray must also pay Jennifer a lump sum. The Murrays signed a prenuptial agreement in which Bill would pay his wife $7 million in a divorce, and, according to court documents, it is still valid.
In May, Butler Murray filed for divorce on the grounds of drug addiction, physical abuse, adultery and abandonment. She also requested a restraining order against her husband.
According to Butler Murray, she felt forced to move with their children to a new home as a result of the actor’s alcohol, marijuana and sex addictions, among other reasons. According to a newspaper report, the filing said that Murray once “hit his wife in the face and then told her she was ‘lucky he didn’t kill her.”
At the time, the actor’s lawyer, John McDougall, said only: “I can say that Bill Murray is deeply saddened by the break-up of his marriage to Jennifer. They remain loving parents, committed to the best interest of their children.”
Well, I don’t know what snapped them out of it, but I’m glad. With four kids to think about, these two were heading to a bad place, and once the name calling starts, it’s hard to take those things back. It looks like Jennifer is going to get a nice little settlement for herself and the children are going to be provided for- that’s really the best case scenario in a divorce, isn’t it? If the allegations are true about Bill, I hope he gets some help. I still think he’s a fantastic actor and hate to see him getting this kind of publicity.
On a side note, I’d also like to point out how easy it is to settle a divorce financially when there is a pre-nup involved. Too bad Paul McCartney didn’t take that advice.
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