Jennifer Lopez’s unusual divorce filing amid her split from Ben Affleck indicates she “just wanted to get this over with” and move on, a legal expert tells PEOPLE.
On Tuesday, August 20, Lopez, 55, filed for divorce from Affleck, 52, in Los Angeles County Superior Court without the use of a lawyer. She stated April 26, 2024 as the date of separation.
The couple tied the knot in Las Vegas on July 16, 2022, but August 20 marked the second anniversary of their traditional wedding ceremony in Georgia.
Speaking with PEOPLE, Marilyn Chinitz, who is a spouse partner at Blank Rome LLP, talks about Lopez’s decision to file without an attorney, known as pro se, “I think she probably just wanted to get this done, [that] there was a lot of hesitancy and wavering and jerking back and forth, and it’s a statement, ‘I’m going to go ahead and file and do it myself.'”
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Jennifer Lopez.
Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
He says it’s likely the former couple “probably worked with a mediator” during the divorce case.
Chinitz, who is not connected to the case, adds, “I think her actual statement is, ‘I’m going forward. Lawyer or no lawyer to file,'” adding that it would be “highly unusual” for the couple not to have a prenuptial agreement, TMZ reported.
“The only time you see people who don’t have a prenup is when they put most of their assets into trusts for their children, and those trusts are set up and they wouldn’t be part of the community [property],” Chinitz tells PEOPLE.
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Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez.
Christopher Polk/Golden Globes 2024/Golden Globes 2024/Getty
As for whether the divorce is “amicable,” Chinitz adds, “I think the next step is to see how he [Affleck] fits and I think it will give us an idea of what’s going on.”
California family law attorney David Glass also told PEOPLE that Lopez and Affleck are likely working with a mediator.
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Jennifer Lopez.
Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty
Jennifer Lopez was solo in New York on the day she filed for divorce from Ben Affleck
“Sometimes when people work with a mediator, they hire a neutral third party, either a retired judge or a very experienced attorney who doesn’t represent either side but helps them mediate,” says Glass.
“She helps them figure out how to divide everything. The mediator will prepare their submissions, but they look pro se like they’re filing for themselves. And that’s probably why she’s pro se, I don’t think she’s intending to represent herself or figure it all out,” he adds.
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Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez.
Michael Kovac/Getty Images for LACMA
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Lopez and Affleck’s divorce comes after they rekindled their romance in April 2021 – years after they first dated and got engaged, before calling off their planned September 2003 wedding.
Speaking to PEOPLE in 2022, Lopez said of reuniting with Affleck, “I feel so happy, lucky and proud to be with him. It’s a beautiful love story that we got a second chance.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education