Popular country singer Sara Evans has obtained a restraining order against her ex-husband Craig Schelske as part of the embattled duo’s ongoing custody battle. Her claim is that when Schelske was a guest on Anderson Cooper several weeks ago, he used the platform not only in violation of an injunction against publicly bashing Evans, but as a weapon that caused harm to their children; harm which will, the singer claims, be “irreparable.” Stories like this, while entertaining to read, must make some Colorado divorce attorneys glad there aren’t a lot of A-list celebrities in Denver.
The current restraining order bars Schelske from making any further statements regarding the divorce in public. Schelske’s own divorce attorneys have fired back, claiming that the injunction and restraining order represent a violation of his First Amendment right to free speech.
Schelske’s claim, on the other hand, is that Evans constantly surrounds their children with drugs and alcohol, and exposes them to “inappropriate conduct” while on tour. His claim on Anderson Cooper was that Evans falsely accused him of being a “porn-obsessed adulterer.”
For those following this story, it’s been a rocky road, even by angry divorce standards. The couple divorced in 2006 after thirteen years of marriage; this latest episode is one in an ongoing child custody battle that has grown more and more public and bitter over the past several months. Schelske claimed at one point that he had won a slander suit out of court against Evans; the initial divorce agreement was upwards of $5 million in alimony (to be paid by Evans over a 10 year period). Evans has also settled a case with an ex-nanny who she claimed had an affair with Schelske, for $500,000. Evans was awarded custody of the children.
As celebrity divorces go, this is one for the books.
