When we heard a few months back that Laura Prepon and Ben Foster were getting a divorce after six years of marriage, we obviously knew something went very wrong… But this sounds… we don’t even know!
We learned very quickly it was Ben who filed. The Get Over It star didn’t say much about the split at the time, citing just the meaningless “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the breakup. Most of the speculation actually came from the date of separation — September 9, 2023. That was just two days after Laura’s That ’70s Show co-star Danny Masterson was sentenced to prison for rape. Obviously many wondered if that caused a rift… She and Danny were so close, especially since she dated his brother, Malcolm in the Middle star Christopher Masterson, for years.
But now he’s saying more. Much more. And much worse.
According to In Touch, Ben asked the court on March 5 for permission to file an amended divorce petition. Six months after his initial filing, he had additional grounds for divorce to add: “inappropriate marital conduct.”
Whoa. Our first thought when we read that was cheating, but in Tennessee, where they lived together, “adultery” is its own grounds, as are “bigamy,” “abandonment,” and “substance abuse.” So this is something else. But what? Ben’s lawyer said in the filing, per the outlet:
“[Ben] would respectfully show that [Laura] has been guilty of such cruel and inhuman treatment or conduct (i.e.; inappropriate marital conduct) towards [Ben] … which renders further cohabitation unsafe and improper.”
Sorry, “cruel and inhuman treatment”?! WTF?! What is he alleging she did??
According to Tennessee law (via the law firm of Casey, Simmons, & Bryant, PLLC):
- Acts of domestic violence
- Verbal or emotional abuse
- Improper care of children
- Inappropriate relationships with people outside of the marriage
That last one may sound like adultery, but adultery has to be proven. That specifically means sex outside the marriage. An emotional affair, for instance, wouldn’t qualify.
If Ben thinks she moved on with someone else while still married to him, he might well call in “inappropriate marital conduct.” It’s also possible he meant one of the other acts though. No way to know for sure based on this. But we do know Laura’s response! Per In Touch, court docs this month show she fired back at his filing:
“[Laura] asserts the affirmative defense to any allegations brought against her that the ill conduct of [Ben] was a justifiable cause for any conduct complained of against her and [Laura] therefore requests that this court dismiss [Ben’s] cause of action for divorce.”
Wait, her behavior was “justifiable” because of his conduct? What did he do??
In her counter-complaint, she says he’s the one guilty of “cruel and inhuman treatment or conduct” toward her. Only she specifies “habitual drunkenness” — which would make him unsuitable to have primary custody of their children. In her filing, she provided affidavits from her employees, one of whom stated a “serious concern” about “Ben’s ability to care for these children” due to “his consumption of alcohol around” them. She even asked he be required to prove he hadn’t had a drink for 12 hours before visitations. Oof.
Ben’s attorney called BS, telling the outlet:
“Laura Prepon’s filing is the definition of falsehood and a disturbing fiction.”
They said she was also a drinker, pointing out she referred to herself as a “wine mommy.” His legal team’s response blasted Laura:
“[Laura’s] decision to engage in a direct character attack on [Ben] in her response is perfectly illustrative of [Laura’s] compulsion to seize and maintain control over every aspect of family life — regardless of who it hurts — and is also a shining example of why [Ben] chose to file for divorce.”
Yeesh. It sounds so messy! Ultimately, per the outlet, a custody agreement was reached that requires both parents to limit their alcohol consumption around the children, which… fair, we guess. The priority should obviously be the well-being of the children. We just wish this could be done without the attacks. But of course, we don’t know exactly what they’ve gone through together already. Sounds pretty bad.
What do YOU think, Perezcious marriage experts??
[Image via MEGA/WENN.]
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