Terrence Howard who plays Lucious Lyon in the Fox hit series "Empire" was thrust into the limelight recently regarding his divorce settlement with ex-wife Michelle Ghent.
Below is an update regarding his ongoing divorce settlement battle and the judge's ruling over the case.
Nz.herald.co.nz reported that Superior Court Judge Thomas Trent Lewis found that Terrence Howard was intimidated into penning his signature into the settlement by a threat from his second wife to release private details, and thus overturned the actor's divorce remuneration.
This means that Howard and his ex-wife, Michelle Ghent, will now have to start anew and get back into the drawing board to negotiate the financial aspects of their divorce. For now, Ghent's claims toward the actor's income from his show "Empire" have ended.
Judge Lewis said, "The evidence of extortion or duress was unrebutted."
Howard disputed that out of fear that his ex-wife would expose his personal details in 2012, such as a video of him dancing in a bathroom naked and recordings of having phone sex with other women, he signed a settlement to have his marriage done and over with.
It was a small victory for the actor though, according to Los Angeles Times, Judge Lewis said on record, "There's no question in my mind Terrence Howard is a bully, but just because you're a bully, doesn't mean you can be bullied."
Aside from being tagged as a bully, during the duration of the four-day hearing, details about Howard's private life were revealed to the public, such as allegations of physical violence with Lori McCommas, his first wife, infidelity in his second marriage to Michelle Ghent and the secret divorce of his third with Mira Pak.
Before Ghent filed for divorce in February 2011, she and Howard were married for 13 months. Later that year, she acquired a restraining order against him. In May 2013, their divorce was finalized.
Examiner.com revealed, Howard, 46, was comforted that the court proceedings was finally over and that he got justice on his side. He exclaimed, "I could not be any more pleased by today's ruling."
Despite Terrence Howard's absence from his hit Fox TV show while the hearing was on-going, "Empire" Season 2 will return on Sept. 23.
