The wife of one of Austin’s most famous part-time residents, actor Dennis Quaid, has filed divorce papers in a Travis County courtroom.
Quaid married his real-estate agent wife seven years ago. Now she argues that there is nothing left to a marriage that has “become insupportable because of discord or conflict of personalities,” according to the divorce petition. This is Quaid’s third divorce.
While the filing lists only initials, the address on the petition matches that of the Austin home the Quaids shared with their preschool-age twin son and daughter.
Representatives for Quaid, a 57-year-old Houston native, issued a statement confirming that his wife had filed for divorce, and that both parties were discussing a “satisfactory settlement.”
According to the court filings, Quaid’s wife has asked for spousal support and attorney fees. They have already reached a temporary agreement on child custody, as well as on some property matters. The wife will stay in their Austin home and keep a luxury car. Quaid will reside in another local home.
The couple wound up in the news in 2007 after the birth of the twins, when the children almost died after they received an accidental overdose of a blood thinner.
The Quaids subsequently settled with the Los Angeles hospital for $500,000, but it’s unknown what happened to that settlement money. He produced and provided the voice to a documentary for the Discovery Channel called “Chasing Zero: Winning the War on Healthcare Harm” that focused on medical errors.
It appears that since the couple is negotiating a settlement that there is no prenuptial agreement in place.
Source: Associated Press, “Dennis Quaid’s 3rd wife files for divorce in Texas,” Will Weissert, March 9, 2012