Richie Sambora Seeks New Judge

By: Shannon Gossage

Sambora’s lawyer, Jacalyn Davis, filed the papers Friday February 24 in Los Angeles Superior Court challenging the assigned judge’s objectivity in the divorce between Sambora and his estranged wife Heather Locklear who divorcing after 11-years of marriage. Davis maintains that Superior Court Judge Michael I. Levanas "is prejudiced against" Sambora which means that he "cannot have a fair and impartial trial or hearing." It has not been announced why Sambora believes that the judge is prejudiced.

In fact, there may not be any issue at all. It could be that Sambora and Locklear are trying to get their cases reassigned to a retired judge by filing the papers. If the divorce is presided over a private judge the intimate details of the marriage and subsequent divorce will remain out of the public eye. Most private judges are really retired courtroom justices. A lot of celebrities pay big bucks in exchange for "sealed lips" from the private judges.

Locklear reportedly filed for divorce after coming across a provocative email from Sambora’s former assistant, which included some racy photos. Allegedly the couple was going through a "rough patch" and was trying to work things out and Locklear supposedly went ballistic because the woman had been a "sore spot" between the couple. She reportedly never believed anything had gone on between Richie and his assistant, but the email was the final straw. Locklear is seeking full-custody of the couple’s 8-year old daughter, Ava Elizabeth, with visitation rights for Sambora. She has also requested that the court "recognize and enforce" a pre-nup the couple signed before getting married.