Divorce

Newly released documents in the divorce proceedings of Broadcom Corp. co-founder Henry T. Nicholas III reveal harsh battles with his former wife, Stacey, over how to divide the couple's $1 billion in community property, his alleged drug use and her relationship with the family's former security chief. The documents show that Stacey Nicholas' recent efforts to force a trial to divide the estate have been complicated by the pending criminal prosecution of Henry Nicholas. Federal indictments have accused Nicholas of distributing illegal drugs to friends and business associates, and of manipulating Broadcom stock options to secretly provide $2.2 billion in benefits to employees of the Irvine microchip company.

Sometimes love isn't all you need. A judge in London granted a preliminary divorce Monday to former Beatle Paul McCartney and Heather Mills. If no one objects, the divorce will be final in six weeks. Mills, 40, will emerge from the rancorous divorce with a settlement of $47.5 million and custody of the couple's 4-year-old daughter, Beatrice. McCartney will retain the bulk of his fortune, estimated by the court to be at $880 million.

The wife of entertainer Bill Murray has filed for divorce after nearly 11 years of marriage, alleging he abused her and is addicted to marijuana and alcohol. Jennifer Butler Murray filed divorce papers May 12 in Charleston County, S.C. She owns a home on Sullivan's Island, S.C., where she lives with the couple's four children. Bill Murray's attorney, John McDougall, wouldn't comment on the allegations, but said the entertainer "is deeply saddened by the breakup of his marriage."

A judge will likely grant Madonna and Guy Ritchie an initial divorce decree on Friday, according to the schedule for London's High Court. The court lists "Ciccone M L v. Ritchie G S" as one of 17 cases for "matrimonial and civil partnership causes for pronouncement of decree." That means a judge is to grant the couple a preliminary divorce decree. After six weeks and a day, the couple will probably be granted a decree absolute and the divorce will become final. British media reported Thursday that the celebrity pair had reached a settlement that would see the pop superstar keep the majority of her estimated $445-million fortune and share custody of their two children.

Madonna and Guy Ritchie's eight-year marriage ended Friday in a dreary London courtroom. As expected, the case of "Ciccone M.L. v. Ritchie G.S." was one of 17 divorce decrees granted by Judge Caroline Reid during a quick hearing in a harshly lighted London court. There was no legal obligation for Madonna, 50, or Guy Ritchie, 40, to attend the hearing at which they were granted the first of two stages of divorce. Court papers signed by Madonna in Los Angeles confirmed that the queen of pop petitioned for divorce on the basis of Ritchie's "unreasonable behavior" and that there is no need to apply family law in the case -- meaning that the couple have reached their own agreements over their assets and children.

Robyn Gibson, Mel Gibson's wife of 28 years, filed for divorce in L.A. Superior Court on Monday, citing irreconcilable differences. The couple have seven children, but only one under 18. Robyn Gibson has requested joint custody of their son who turns 10 today. Details of how the couple's assets will be divided were not spelled out in the court filings. Robyn Gibson is seeking jewelry and earnings and assets she accrued after the couple separated, and a share of the money and assets Gibson, 53, has earned during his nearly three decades as a Hollywood hitmaker.

Distraught over his divorce and the loss of his job, James Mulvaney did the unthinkable, Ventura County authorities say. Sometime after his ex-wife dropped their two children off at his Thousand Oaks apartment Tuesday, Mulvaney stabbed 12-year-old Jason and 7-year-old Jennifer to death in their bedrooms. The 52-year-old father then took his own life by overdosing on prescription pills, a preliminary review Thursday by the county medical examiner's office indicates. Pending toxicology tests are needed to confirm the finding, but Mulvaney's body had no visible trauma and prescription medicines were found in the residence, Deputy Medical Examiner Michael Tellez said.

For years, most of the solemn young couples who sought out Sayid Rafid Husseini were looking for a marriage certificate. Now, the robed cleric says, many who make their way to his office near a revered Shiite Muslim shrine want a divorce. "I try to convince them not to do it," Husseini says. But times are hard. Waves of killing and displacement, not to mention sectarian pressures, have ripped families apart.

. -- Few things get a state talking like a first lady scorned. Although Nevadans yawn at quickie divorces, drive-through weddings, topless showgirls and legalized prostitution, the divorce proceedings between Gov. Jim Gibbons and his estranged wife, Dawn, have transfixed folks here like a daytime soap opera. "I don't want to know all the details -- it makes me feel prurient," says Carol Hendricks, 79, at the Comma Coffee shop across from the state Legislative Building.

Outside her Bel-Air home, Nancy Reagan stood arm in arm with John McCain and offered a significant -- but less than exuberant -- endorsement. "Ronnie and I always waited until everything was decided, and then we endorsed," the Republican matriarch said in March. "Well, obviously this is the nominee of the party." They were the only words she would speak during the five-minute photo op. In a written statement, she described McCain as "a good friend for over 30 years."