The Contentious Divorce Of Phil Collins: A Tale Of Armed Occupation

Celebrity divorces can often be contentious, especially when there's a lot of money at stake. But how often do you get to read the words "armed occupation" in a story about a famous face's divorce? The answer right now is "at least once," since that’s the phrase that a court document filed by rock legend Phil Collins uses in seeking an injunction against his ex-wife, as reported by the Miami Herald.

The story unfolds with Collins's ex-wife Orianne Cevey, who was originally divorced from Collins back in 2008 with a reported settlement worth almost $47 million. The couple reconciled in 2016, only for their relationship to take a turn for the worse when Cevey broke up with Collins via text message in August of this year. Shortly after their split, she married another musician in Las Vegas and the two moved into a lavish $33 million mansion in Miami, a home that once belonged to Phil and Orianne during happier times.

According to Collins's legal filing, the newlyweds are "threatening, implicitly and explicitly, to prolong their unlawful occupation of the property through force." This has prompted Collins to seek a judge's intervention to evict them from the house. He stated, "An injunction is urgently needed to end an armed occupation and takeover of the Phil Collins home by his ex-girlfriend and her new husband, the defendants in the action."

Despite the armed security force that his ex is said to have hired, Collins asserts that the mansion is legally his, free and clear. He expresses concern not only for the physical property but also for the valuable memorabilia stored inside. Court documents indicate a "substantial risk that Mrs. Bates or Mr. Bates or their agents will remove, conceal or destroy valuable and irreplaceable personal property," including Collins's infamous collection of items related to the historical Battle of the Alamo, which is valued at an estimated $15 million.

A Zoom-facilitated court hearing followed, during which Vanity Fair reported that Cevey filed a counterclaim seeking approximately $20 million, claiming an ownership stake in the mansion—contrary to Collins's assertions. The presiding judge called for a new hearing, while Collins's attorney, Jeff Fisher, labeled the counterclaim as a transparent strategy to delay the legal proceedings. He remarked, "This is an absolute fabrication, it’s transparent. Lawyer number three, story number four. And so, the issue really is, do they get to, through gamesmanship, deprive somebody of their home? While she has another home?"

That other home is reportedly a $1.7 million property located in Las Vegas, which Cevey purchased several months before their breakup text in August 2020.