Richie Sambora Seeks Joint Custody

By: Shannon Gossage

Sambora filed legal papers last Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court asking that the prenuptial agreement he and Locklear signed before they were married in 1994 be "enforced." He is also seeking joint physical and legal custody of their daughter and has asked that he not be required to pay spousal support. While Locklear’s filings list the date of their separation as "T-B-D," Sambora’s filing claims the actual date that they separated was December 26, 2005.

When Locklear first filed papers on February 2 she asked that she receive full physical custody of daughter Ava Elizabeth, with visitation rights for Sambora. After Locklear filed for divorce citing "irreconcilable difference", her publicist Cece Yorke confirmed the split saying, "After 11 years of marriage Heather Locklear has filed for divorce from Richie Sambora. This is a private matter and there will be no further comment at this time." The split came after months of denials from the couple that they were having any marital difficulties.

It has been reported that the two were growing apart for years, but were trying to work through their difficult time. Allegedly, the last straw was when Locklear found some racy emails and photos from Sambora’s ex-personal assistant. The one thing the two can agree on is that both want their assets divided according to the pre-nuptial agreement they signed. This is Sambora’s first marriage and Locklear’s second. Locklear was previously married to Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee. The couple divorced in 1993 after a rocky seven-year marriage.