Judge set to rule on Terrence Howard divorce settlement

A Los Angeles judge Monday threw out Terrence Howard’s 2012 divorce settlement from his second wife, concluding that the “Crash” and “Empire” actor agreed to it under pressure from his former spouse, because she allegedly threatened to release private information about him, including an unflattering video.

Empire star Terrence Howard was victorious in court on Monday, when a judge overturned his divorce settlement with his second wife, Michelle Ghent.

Howard, however, is obviously happy about Monday’s ruling, which for now, ends any claim Ghent has to his Empire earnings.

Admissions by Howard that he was untrue to Ghent throughout their engagement and acknowledging he struck his first spouse in anger are unlikely to harm his standing on the present or with its followers.

Still, the judge had harsh words for Howard regarding Ghent’s domestic violence claims against him.

Lewis didn’t hear Ghent’s model of occasions as a result of her attorneys didn’t file a sworn assertion from her earlier than the listening to.

He denied abusing Ghent, testifying that if he hit her it was in self-defense and he had by no means choked her, as she has alleged.

“There’s no question in my mind Terrence Howard is a bully”, Lewis said.

“Today’s ruling … recognizes that divorce decrees signed with a proverbial gun to one’s head can not withstand judicial scrutiny”, Howard’s attorney Brian Kramer said in a statement, according to People. The pair was married for a year before Ghent filed for divorce in January 2011.

Ghent and Howard aren’t the one ones within the end result of Monday’s ruling.

The agreement entitled Ghent to a share of the 46-year-old actor’s earnings, which would include a portion of his salary from the hit series Empire, which opens its second season in September.

The actor – who was nominated for an Oscar for his starring role in 2005′s Hustle & Flow – called it “blood money”, and told Lewis that leaking the information at the time would have ended his acting career.

If he rules in Ghent’s favor, Lewis will convene another hearing to determine how much Howard owes.

His career has resurged since the debut of “Empire”, a hit series for Fox that had steadily improved ratings each week in its first season. His absence didn’t impact the show’s shooting schedule.