This week in An Atlanta Divorce Attorney’s Thoughts on Celebrity Divorce, I’m going to discuss the recent separation of Courteney Cox and David Arquette. After 11 years of marriage and one child together, the couple announced that they were on a “trial separation.” People Magazine, October 25, 2010. In their statement, they said “…[w]e remain best friends and responsible parents to our daughter and we still love each other deeply. As we go though this process we are determined to use kindness and understanding to get through this together…”
However, since the announcement, Arquette does not seem to be using “kindness” in the process. He has gone on Howard Stern’s radio show to detail the reasons for the split and even publicly admitted to sleeping with another woman since he and Cox separated. We have yet to see if the couple will reconcile and, if not, how their divorce will play out, but it is likely that the sting of Arquette’s actions will have some bearing on the outcome.
Unlike Arquette, non-celebrities don’t usually have the ability to speak to media outlets about their divorces. However, spilling detailed relationship troubles to everyone you know and rubbing your spouse’s face in your post-separation activities, such as Arquette has done, will likely make for a more bitter and litigious divorce, which, in turn, will cost both parties more money. As a colleague of mine always says, one thing that can drive up the cost of a divorce is emotion. There is simply no reason to make an emotional process even more difficult for you, your spouse, or your children.