Em & Kim's Divorce

Rapper, ex-wife reserved in Macomb court appearance, keep most terms private

By Jameson Cook
Macomb Daily Staff Writer

A somber Eminem and Kim Mathers finalized their second divorce in a brief court hearing Tuesday, with most of the details regarding property division and custody of their daughter withheld from public view.
Eminem, the rap superstar whose legal name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, and Kimberley Anne Mathers appeared in Macomb County Circuit Court in front of Chief Judge Antonio Viviano to formalize the dissolution of their nearly 3-month marriage. The couple married Jan. 14, and Eminem filed for divorce April 5.

The estranged couple said little in their appearance.

Eminem, 33, dressed casually in a black button-up shirt and gym pants, replied "correct" when his attorney, Harvey Hauer, asked him if there had been a breakdown in the marriage, and "no" when asked whether there was any chance at reconciliation.

Mathers, 31, previously known as Kimberly Ann Scott, was dressed in pin-striped black slacks, white blouse and boots. She replied "yes" or "yes sir" to several questions from the judge.

Eminem and Mathers separately left the court building in downtown Mount Clemens without comment.

Their attorneys also declined to comment.

Judge Viviano said following the hearing he was impressed with the way the two of them handled the divorce as well as the custody matters for their child, Hailie, who turns 11 on Christmas Day. The two agreed to share joint legal and physical custody until Hailie turns 18, and to conduct the custody arrangements privately -- out of the guise of the Friend of the Court.

"These people have been very good parents to their child," Viviano said outside the courtroom. "They've been working well together. These people were a pleasure. They conducted themselves with dignity and respect at all times."

A trial was scheduled for Tuesday after the case went to mediation in September.

Court files indicate the couple had a prenuptial agreement but details were not disclosed.

Two of a handful of people who were in court to observe the hearing said they believed Eminem "did not look good." One observer said the proceeding was "sad."

Eminem's filing for divorce surprised many people. The couple had gotten married for the second time in a well-publicized ceremony at historic Meadow Brook Hall in Rochester.

Mathers' attorney, Michael Smith, said at the time he was caught off guard by the filing and at the time said he believed they could resolve their differences and reconcile.

A day after the filing, Mathers told a Detroit-area radio station that the couple "started to have a few problems" after Eminem had been released from rehabilitation for a dependency on sleep medication during the summer of 2005.

She said in April that she had wanted to delay the wedding, and added, "I didn't really want to get a divorce."

The couple had been living in Clinton Township, and Hailie still attends school there. As of late September, Mathers was living in Macomb Township. Mathers also has a child about 5 years old from another relationship and cares for a 13-year-old niece.

Eminem was investigated for a possible domestic violence incident Sept. 24 at Mathers' Macomb Township home but the county Sheriff's Office and Prosecutor's Office said charges were not warranted. Eminem poked his niece in the head after he went to the home because she had hung up the phone on him, police said. Mathers' mother, Kathleen Sluck, who listed that address as one of her two residences, called police.

The couple, who had known each other since their middle-teen years in south Warren, first married in 1999 in St. Joseph, Mo. Eminem filed for divorce in August 2000, and it was finalized in October 2001.

The divorce finalization comes less than a month after Macomb County native rock star Kid Rock, whose legal name is Bob Ritchie, and actress Pamela Anderson filed for divorce in Los Angeles, also after about three months of marriage.

Eminem's divorce comes as he has recently returned to the public eye, with the release of a new, multi-artist compilation album, "Eminem Presents: The Re-Up." He was named favorite male hip/hop artist at the American Music Awards in November. Two weeks ago he was nominated with Akon for a Grammy in the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for Akon's hit, "Smack That."

After brushes with the law, Mathers has steered clear of trouble the past two years. She was convicted for cocaine possession in 2003 in St. Clair Shores and drunken driving in Troy in 1999. She has completed her probationary terms and regained her drivers license early this year.

Eminem has also had legal problems in the past. He allegedly pulled out a gun when he saw a man kissing Mathers outside a Warren bar. He also was accused of brandishing a pistol at a car stereo installation business.




Source: MacombDaily