JESSICA Simpson is said to be on the brink of filing for divorce from her husband Eric Johnson, and their split could become a messy legal battle over her reported $200million fortune.
According to sources, Jessica and Eric are living separate lives, but co-parenting their three children.
Jessica Simpson is yet to file for divorce but is said to be separated from Eric Johnson[/caption]
Former NFL player Eric Johnson at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.[/caption]
The couple tied the knot in 2014, six years after he announced his retirement from the NFL.
He is said to be worth around $10 million after playing for the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints.
Jessica is thought to have amassed a lot more money over the years from her music career, brand deals, and fashion business.
Divorce attorney Andrew Zashin, Founding Partner at Zashin Law, gave his opinion on the case, having dealt with high net worth splits.
He said the situation could turn into a “dumpster fire,” if they don’t have their priorities straight and hire good counsel to avoid court and unnecessary publicity.
Andrew said, “In my world, a ‘good’ lawyer is not a gladiator but a creative problem solver who tries to find ‘win-win’ situations wherever possible and preserve the parties’ wealth and even help to pass it along to future generations.
“Other times, cases just explode and become salacious circuses.
“Whether any particular case becomes acrimonious depends on many factors: the parties desire to keep everything quiet, who their lawyers are, etc.
‘DRAINED BANK ACCOUNT’
“Some cases turn nasty simply because one party wants to make an issue out of something for their own sake; other times, it’s because the mistreatment has actual legal significance.
“But it is always a possibility and one that I try very hard in my practice to contain.
“I have a saying ‘I don’t do revenge.’ If someone wants to make a case nasty for their own sake, they usually end up extremely disappointed and spend a lot of money to get nowhere.”
Jessica hinted at feeling wronged in a recent cryptic post while recording music in Tennessee.
She posted a photo of herself in the studio, with the caption, “This comeback is personal, it’s an apology to myself for putting up with everything I did not deserve.”
Jessica and Eric have not been wearing their wedding bands for months, and have not denied reports they are no longer together.
The U.S. Sun reached out to their reps for comment.
Lawyer Andrew went on, “There are two pieces of advice I would give each of them individually.
“The first is to be ‘intelligently self-interested’ – meaning, be smart about the fights you consider having.
“I have seen people fight for their own sake only to end up shooting themselves in the foot financially.
“Second, both need to seriously keep in mind that if their marriage really is going to end, they are going to be parents forever and a good divorce can be far better than a bad marriage for kids.
“For Jessica specifically, I would tell her to be prepared to part ways with more financially than she might want to and to know what is truly important to her.”
It is estimated Jessica’s net worth stands at around $200 million, although it could be significantly less after she borrowed money to buy her business back.
PARENTING BATTLE
Jessica, 44, revealed on an episode of The Real two years ago that she “drained her bank account” and borrowed against her home to save her “billion-dollar brand.”
Despite this, she’s still believed to have millions more in the bank than her former spouse and they are not thought to have signed a prenuptial agreement.
Eric has been more of a stay-at-home dad in recent years since retiring, whereas Jessica is still often focused on her career.
The former couple share three children; Maxwell, 12, Ace, 11, and Birdie, five.
Jessica has been recording her new album in Nashville, but Eric is believed to be permanently based in Los Angeles, where their kids go to school.
Asked if her traveling could affect any divorce that may come, Andrew said, “It could, but divorce often changes people and their outlook on what they are willing to do.
“I cannot tell you how many times I have seen the workaholic spouse completely change track when their marriage falls apart because they are simply unwilling to be away from the kids when they are no longer in the marital partnership.
“Of course, here, if Eric and Jessica chose to remain in their current locations, I think crafting a workable parenting schedule gets more complicated, but certainly possible.
“Jessica is going to have to make some decisions about what she needs or wants to do and how she is going to make that happen.”
Andrew went on to explain, “Whether someone is the primary income source during the marriage doesn’t necessarily translate to parenting.
“One spouse may earn most of the income but be an extremely involved and fantastic parent.
Jessica and Eric’s relationship timeline
The couple is said to be living separate lives but have not filed for divorce.
Jessica Simpson finalized her divorce from Nick Lachey in 2006 and went on to date the likes of John Mayer and Tony Romo.
She then met former footballer Eric Johnson and the pair went public in 2010, with him popping the question just months later in November.
They welcomed their firstborn, Maxwell, in 2012, followed by Ace in 2013, before finally tying the knot in 2014.
The couple then had their third child, Birdie, in 2019.
She previously gushed about the star and said they “rarely fight”.
But rumors of a separation have been ripe for several months, after the star was seen without her wedding ring.
She also failed to mention Eric on their 10th wedding anniversary, and he has not appeared in any romantic social media posts.
The last time she shared snaps with her husband was during Easter break with her children, but they were not standing together.
They are yet to shut down rumors they are separated and reps for the pair did not respond to comment calls from The U.S. Sun.
“Could Eric try to make a play for holding all the parenting cards? Sure. But he would really need a damn good reason for taking that position.
“The overwhelming majority of divorces with kids involved end up with a shared custodial arrangement, particularly on decision-making.”
Andrew said without a prenuptial agreement, they would likely have an equal division of marital assets.
“Defining what those are is often one of the biggest issues in any divorce case,” he said.
“It can be tricky because things that would theoretically be off the table (assets owned before the marriage) might now have a marital part to them if any increase in value was caused by either spouse’s efforts during the marriage.
“As for what else he could ask for, the most obvious thing would be alimony/spousal support.”
Rumors of a split began to circulate after Jessica failed to mention her husband on social media for their 10th wedding anniversary back in July.
One insider previously told The U.S. Sun that divorce has allegedly been on the cards for a long time.
“Jessica and Eric have had problems for years, even before the pandemic,” they said.
“It’s sadly no surprise they could be heading for divorce.”
Jessica Simpson poses with Eric and their children during a celebration of her memoir “Open Book” at Macy’s in New York in 2022[/caption]
Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson pictured back in 2020 in New York City[/caption]
