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Christie Brinkley Gets Full Custody in Divorce Case
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 10, 2008
Modified Jul 10, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 10, 2008
Modified Jul 10, 2008
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The cruel and revelatory divorce proceedings between Christie Brinkley and Peter Cook ended at 6 a.m. this morning, with the sides announcing a settlement. Brinkley's lawyer Robert Cohen said in the courtroom, "It is my pleasure to report to the court that with much hard work ... we reached an agreement."
The former couple had been fighting over custody of their children as well as other properties they acquired together, and it appears Brinkley was victorious: She was granted full custody of the children, plus keeps the properties. Brinkley will pay Cook, an architect, $2.1 million, mostly for legal costs.
Brinkley told reporters, "I was here fighting for custody. I think a mother's greatest fear is somebody trying to take their children ... That is what I was up against. I have won custody and decision-making and that's all I ever wanted." As for Cook, he said, "I've got everything I've been asking for for two years"--everything except for the joint custody of the kids.
Cook's infidelities and indiscretions--hiring an 18-year-old toy store clerk to be his assistant, later bedding her and paying her $300,000 for her silence; a $3,000/month Internet porn habit--were spilled in the few days of testimony. The judge told the pair he hoped they would provide "normalcy, stability and love for their children as they move forward...It's very much the (hope) of this court that this resolution allows the children and the parents to move on with the rest of their lives."
Tagged
affair
christie brinkley
custody battle
divorce
peter cook
settlement
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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