EXCLUSIVE: Former supermodel Jerry Hall, 66, asks judges to DISMISS her divorce case just five weeks after her henchman served media mogul husband Rupert Murdoch, 91, with papers
- Jerry Hall asked judges to dismiss her divorce case against Rupert Murdoch
- She filed for divorce in LA, citing ‘irreconcilable differences’ five weeks ago
- Rupert Murdoch, 91, received divorce papers at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire
- If approved Murdoch will not have to go through a bitter and public battle
Jerry Hall last night asked judges to dismiss her divorce case against Rupert Murdoch, the Daily Mail can reveal.
The former supermodel asked the Los Angeles Superior Court to cancel the divorce petition she filed just five weeks ago, meaning the case appears to be at an end.
The notice was filed by Miss Hall’s California lawyer Ronald Brot and was dated Tuesday, August 9. The document says the divorce should be dismissed without prejudice, meaning that it can be revived.
Last night it wasn’t clear why Miss Hall had filed the dismissal, or if the couple had agreed to settle out of court. The Mail has contacted both sides for comment.
The couple had been together for six years when their split was reported in June. Last weekend, a newspaper claimed that the 91-year-old media tycoon ended their marriage via an email which Miss Hall, 66, is said to have received while waiting for him to arrive in the UK.
Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall outside St Bride’s church in London following a service to celebrate their wedding in 2016
The former supermodel (pictured with Murdoch in 2016) asked the Los Angeles Superior Court to cancel the divorce petition she filed just five weeks ago, meaning the case appears to be at an end.
The couple (pictured at their wedding in March 2016) had been together for six years when their split was reported in June
Jerry Hall last night asked judges to dismiss her divorce case against Rupert Murdoch, the Daily Mail can reveal. Pictured: Jerry Hall in Los Angeles in 2016
Miss Hall responded by filing for divorce on July 1 in Los Angeles rather than the UK, where they were married. Her next move was even more aggressive and she hired a former Met Police anti-terrorism officer to serve Mr Murdoch the divorce papers at RAF Brize Norton on July 4, after he attended his granddaughter’s wedding nearby.
If Miss Hall’s request is approved, it would ensure that Mr Murdoch would not have to go through a bitter and public battle which could have exposed his finances to the world.
Pictured: Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall attend the ‘The Quiet One’ screening at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival at SVA Theater
Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall pictured together in California in 2019
In her original petition, she said she did not have his full financial information and was seeking it.
The filing of the divorce in California is significant as it is a community property state, meaning that any property acquired during the marriage is by default split 50/50.
The couple bought a doer-upper in the Cotswolds as one of their new homes, even though it cost them a staggering £30 million. The sprawling pad in Great Tew had been uninhabitable for many years and the painstaking renovation included installing a new domed roof.
Mr Murdoch had 30 days to respond to the petition, a date which had passed by the time Miss Hall filed her request for dismissal. Over the weekend, legal experts urged Mr Murdoch to settle the divorce.
Mark Stephens, with London-based law firm Howard Kennedy, said: ‘This is a case that doesn’t need to be litigated. The smart thing is don’t line the pages of newspapers, just get on and settle the case.’