Wednesday, September 05, 2007

SHAQ FILES FOR DIVORCE

After nearly five years of marriage and four children together, Shaquille O'Neal filed for divorce from his wife Shaunie in Miami on Tuesday (September 4).



"The marriage between the parties is irretrievably broken," reads the petition, which was filed by O'Neal's lawyer, Ira Elegant, in Miami-Dade Circuit Court on Tuesday. It is not known who is representing Shaunie, according to The Miami Herald.

The petition reveals that the couple has a prenuptial agreement, according to the Herald, which also reports that should the court agree, a copy of the agreement "will be filed ... under seal."

The agreement "contains extensive provisions providing for confidentiality and non-disclosure." O'Neal also says in the petition that Shaunie has been "secretive about her assets ... particularly with respect to certain properties owned or titled in either [her] name alone or in other entities" and requests that the court require Shaunie to give a "correct accounting of all money, funds, stocks, bonds, and other securities (including bearer securities)" acquired during the marriage.

Neither Shaq nor the Heat responded to requests for comment, the Herald reports. The basketball star makes $20 million a year playing for the Heat, and nets even more through lucrative endorsement deals thought to be worth millions every year. The couple's home – on Miami Beach's exclusive Star Island – is up for sale for $32 million, according to the Associated Press.

Shaq married his then-longtime girlfriend Shaunie Nelson on Dec. 26, 2002, in a lavish, top-secret ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

The couple have four children together: Shareef, 7, Amirah, 5, Shaqir, 4, and Me'Arah, 1. Shaq, 35, also has a daughter, Taahirah, from an earlier relationship and Shaunie, 32, has a son, Myles.

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