The 'Twilight' actor seeks joint custody of their three daughters, while the former '90210' actress requests to have her name legally changed back to her maiden name in a response filing.
- Mar 29, 2012
AceShowbiz - Peter Facinelli has finally made a legal move to end his 11 years of marriage to Jennie Garth. The Carlisle Cullen of the "Twilight Saga" series filed divorce at the Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday, March 28 afternoon, citing "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split.
In his petition submitted by his attorney Terry Levich Ross, 38-year-old Facinelli listed January 1, 2012 as the date of his separation from his actress wife. The actor playing Dr. Fitch Cooper on "Nurse Jackie" also requested joint physical and legal custody of their three minor daughters, 14-year-old Luca, 9-year-old Lola and 5-year-old Fiona.
39-year-old Garth herself has filed a response to the divorce petition through her lawyer Melanie Mandles on the same day. In her documents, the former "90210" actress also asked for joint physical and legal custody of their children. She also requested to have her name Jennifer Facinelli to be legally changed back to her maiden name.
Facinelli and Garth, who tied the knot in 2001, announced their separation on March 13. "While we have decided to end our marriage, we both share the same deep love and devotion to our children," they said in a joint statement. "We remain dedicated to raising our beautiful daughters together. We ask for privacy and respect during this time."
Garth has since opened up that Facinelli wanted a divorce in the fall of 2011. In an interview with PEOPLE, the TV actress admitted, "I was very resistant. I didn't want it to happen. It took me some time to come to peace with it." Now, she said, "I don't know what the future holds, but then I've never been a planner. And maybe that's a good thing."
The star of "Jennie Garth: A Little Bit Country" also noted that Facinelli's busy working schedule with the "Twilight" franchise and the "Nurse Jackie" series was a factor that led to their split. "He would do everything he could to fly back every weekend," she said. "[But] it took a real toll on our marriage."
