California fans of the show “Grey’s Anatomy” may be aware that one of its stars, Jesse Williams, is going through a divorce. He and his wife have been involved in a dispute over child custody and child and spousal support.
Williams and his wife, Aryn Drake-Lee, married in 2012 and separated in 2017. They have two children and share legal custody but have maintained a flexible schedule for physical custody since Williams has a shooting schedule for “Grey’s Anatomy” that changes frequently. Drake-Lee says this is now causing problems for the children since their time with their father is so inconsistent and that he frequently cancels. She has asked for a copy of his shooting schedule.
Furthermore, Williams has reportedly fallen behind in child and spousal support payments. Drake-Lee is asking for over $850,000 in unpaid child and spousal support. She says that once this back support is paid, she will agree to cut spousal support payments to $29,918 per month from $50,000. She has asked for a provision that Williams must wait six months to introduce a new partner to their children. Drake-Lee is also seeking to keep a home in Brooklyn and one in Los Angeles as well as part of his residuals.
While some couples are able to negotiate property division, child custody and spousal and child support without going to court, in some cases, it is necessary to go to litigation. Depending on how much real estate Williams and Drake-Lee own together, Drake-Lee may be entitled to the homes as well as part of his residuals since California is a community property state. She may be able to ask for half of the assets acquired by either of them since the marriage.