Anyone following the Flip or Flop divorce knows things have not been pretty between Tarek and Christina El Moussa.
It was on January 10 of this year that Tarek El Moussa filed for divorce against his wife Christina, per TMZ . In the divorce documents Tarek citied “irreconcilable differences” as their reason for getting a divorce . With the divorce, Tarek is asking for joint custody of their two children. In what some are describing as an interesting twist, Tarek is also filing for Christina to pay him spousal support. In addition to wanting his soon-to-be ex-wife to pay spousal custody, Tarek also wants the judge to block Christina from requesting Tarek pays her spousal support as well.
“It’s civilized, or as best it can be under the circumstances. They have to make it work if they want to continue monetizing what they do,” a source close to the Flip or Flop couple told TMZ .
Hollywood Life was recently able to obtain additional information by speaking exclusively to a divorce attorney who explained the reason why Tarek was demanding that Christina pay him spousal support.
If a judge signs off on the request, Christina will be forced to give Tarek a certain amount of money in order to help him financially after their divorce. She could either be legally required to give him a lump sum of money or to make monthly payments. Naturally, Flip or Flop fans wonder what the reason behind the spousal request was and if Tarek is actually justified in asking for it.
Hollywood Life spoke to a California divorce attorney named David Pisarra in order to try to understand the reason why Tarek was filing for spousal support. Per the divorce attorney, there are “several possible reasons why Tarek requested spousal support from Christina.”
One of the possible reasons could be that Tarek wants an advantage in the divorce. “If they are on equitable ground financially, it could simply be a strategic divorce move on his part trying to get ahead of the curve,” the divorce lawyer explains. In addition to wanting to be ahead of his wife, the divorce attorney believed the more likely reason was probably the separate assets Christina had.
“But what might be more likely is that she has separate property assets that would increase her income.”
By requesting spousal support from Christina, Tarek would be entitled to some of her earnings. “Especially if he helped build those assets through their work together,” the lawyer went on to explain.
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“Often business couples put assets in one spouses name instead of the other for strategic purposes. So there could be an imbalance in how the El Moussa’s held assets. It could also be that he has got more of the community debt so wants her to help pay.”
Tarek and Christina are technically co-stars on the HGTV series Flip or Flop . Legally, contracts forced the couple to continue filming Flip or Flop even after they separated. Rumors, however, are speculating the series may end once there are not any contracts binding the couple to the series. Only time will tell whether or not a judge decides to grant Tarek the spousal support he has requested from Christina.
What are your thoughts on the Flip or Flop divorce? Do you think Tarek has the right to spousal support? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section down below.
[Featured Image by Jerod Harris/Getty Images]