Terrence Howard's Divorce Finalized: Ex-Wife Michelle Ghent and 'Red Tail' Actor Reach Settlement After Years of Legal Battle
The bitter divorce case between Terrence Howard and Michelle Ghent is finally settled.
Ghent filed for legal papers to end their marriage in February 2011, only a year after the couple celebrated their first wedding anniversary. The couple has been entangled in a nasty divorce battle ever since, up until a judge finalized divorce proceedings earlier this week, TMZ reports.
Howard comes out on top in the settlement. The Oscar-nominated performer will retain most of his properties, including two houses in Pennsylvania and 25 bank accounts. He has to pay his ex-wife $5,800 a month in spousal support for the next three years. Meanwhile, Ghent has been ordered to return the actor's 2011 Range Rover. She gets to keep her bicycle and her BMW, according to the settlement obtained by TMZ.
Howard has been in Toronto since April filming The Best Man Holiday.
In court dealings, the two accused one another of physical and verbal abuse and extortion. Howard specified that Ghent was an "evil racist,"
According to court papers, a week after the wedding, Ghent discovered her husband had a secret second cell phone and a nasty fight ensued. Ghent said Howard hit her in the face and neck. Howard said it was Ghent who struck him and called him racial slurs. The two stayed together another year, separated, reconciled after Ghent filed for divorce and then separated again to call it quits for good.
Howard, 41, and Ghent, 33, wed in a quiet ceremony in January 2010 after an eight-month engagement. Upon filing for divorce a year after they tied the knot, Ghent alleged that there were repeated episodes of physical abuse that started a week after the wedding. Ghent was also granted a restraining order against Howard, which expires next week, at the time she filed for divorce. Ghent will reportedly not request that the restraining order be permanent.