Nardine Saad
Los Angeles Times
(TNS)
LOS ANGELES — Britney Spears appears to be swiftly tying up loose ends that have tethered her to the court system for years. Less than week after resolving a long-standing financial dispute with her father, the pop star and estranged husband Sam Asghari have reached a settlement in their divorce.
Divorce settlement papers were filed late Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, where Asghari first filed for divorce from the pop superstar in August, citing irreconcilable differences and seeking spousal support and legal fees.
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Asghari’s attorney noted in dissolution paperwork filed Wednesday that his petition was uncontested, and that the former couple had entered into a written agreement regarding their property and their marriage that they are requesting the court approve. The actor and personal trainer agreed to give up his rights to spousal support and asked the court to terminate Spears’ right to spousal support too, per the filing obtained Thursday by The Times.
Spears’ attorney, “disso queen” Laura Wasser, also filed papers on the singer’s behalf.
Representatives for Spears declined to comment further on the settlement. A representative for Asghari did not immediately respond Thursday to The Times’ request for comment.
The split between Spears, 42, and Asghari, 30, was “amicable,” a person close to Spears who was not authorized to speak publicly on the case, told The Times, and the couple had an “ironclad” prenuptial agreement in place prior to the proceedings. Despite reports to the contrary, Asghari did not contest the prenup.
Last week, the “Baby One More Time” singer — who was released from a 13-year conservatorship in 2021 — settled her protracted legal dispute with her father and former conservator, Jamie Spears, over the payment of his legal fees and how he managed her finances during the controversial legal arrangement.
The two parties settled for an undisclosed amount last Thursday after he first filed about the issue in December 2021. The settlement helped father and daughter avoid continued litigation, including a hearing that had been set for May, over Jamie Spears’ alleged financial misconduct during his tenure as conservator of her person and estate.
Asghari, who had been critical of Spears’ father during the drawn-out court battle, dated the pop star for about five years before asking her to be his wife. He was engaged to her during the pivotal moments that ultimately led to the end of her conservatorship and her “freedom.” The couple reveled in the conservatorship’s termination and wed about seven months later, celebrating a “fairy tale” marriage.
Spears and Asghari wed in June 2022 at the pop star’s private Southern California residence. The event was replete with a star-studded guest list and quite a bit of drama. Her ex-husband Jason Alexander was arrested on suspicion of trespassing outside the home just hours before the event began. He was later served an emergency restraining order.
Despite all that, one day after filing for divorce last summer, Asghari said that the decision to end their union was a mutual one.
“After six years of love and commitment to each other my wife and I have decided to end our journey together,” he wrote in his Instagram story.
“We will hold onto the love and respect we have for each other and I wish her the best always. S— happens,” he continued. “Asking for privacy seems ridiculous so I will just ask for everyone including media to be kind and thoughtful.”
Spears addressed the split a few days later, hinting at trouble in paradise.
“As everyone knows, Hesam and I are no longer together… 6 years is a long time to be with someone, so I’m a little shocked but… I’m not here to explain why because it’s honestly nobody’s business!!!,” she wrote.
“But I couldn’t take the pain anymore, honestly!!!” she added. “I’ve been playing it strong for way too long and my Instagram may seem perfect but it’s far from reality and I think we all know that !!! I would love to show my emotions and tears on how I really feel but some reason I’ve always had to hide my weaknesses !!”
While Spears shared hidden parts of her life in her October memoir, “The Woman in Me,” her split from Asghari was not explored in the bestseller, in which she called him “a gift from God.” The “Crossroads” star reportedly had already signed off on the book before the split, and no changes reflecting the divorce were added to the memoir before it was published.
The Grammy Award winner’s marriage to Asghari was her third. Spears was previously wed to Alexander for 55 hours in 2004 and to Kevin Federline — with whom she shares two sons — from 2004 to 2007.
This was Asghari’s first marriage. The couple had no children, and although Spears announced a pregnancy during their time together, in May 2022 she revealed that she’d suffered a miscarriage.
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