Since Anne Heche’s husband, Coleman Laffoon, filed for divorce in February, the Men in Trees star and the freelance cameraman have been wrapped up in a custody battle over Homer, their five-year-old son. But the tide seems to have changed this week. Both Heche and Laffoon implied to reporters on September 26 that they had reached a breakthrough in court.
Although neither of them revealed any details about the private child-custody hearing at Los Angeles Superior Court, Heche, 38, said that she’d had a “good day in court,” according to the Associated Press. She added that she’d achieved what she had been hoping to resolve.
On Laffoon’s end, his attorney, Jon Summers, told Extra: “We are very satisfied with what happened in court today. There were minor disputes… We went to the judge, and he resolved them.” Summers also noted that the next goal was to “work to finalize the divorce” so that the parties “can go their merry way.”
Laffoon, 32, added that the hearings were “painful” and “part of the process”. “Anybody who has been divorced knows about it. I’m looking forward to it being over,” he told Extra.
Laffoon originally cited irreconcilable differences when he filed for divorce from Heche on February 2. However, he soon began attacking Heche for allegedly having poor parenting skills; she answered by accusing Laffoon of being lazy and addicted to pornography and online poker. He has been seeking $30,000 a month in spousal support as well as joint custody, AP says.
In August, Heche requested a change to the former arrangement so that she could give Laffoon one week’s notice, rather than two, when she wanted to be with their son. She claims that she never knows more than a week in advance when she will get a break from shooting Men in Trees. Heche currently has alternate weekends with Homer in Vancouver and will be with her son every other week when she returns to Los Angeles, which is the boy’s designated permanent residence.
Heche, who may be best known for her past relationship with comedian Ellen DeGeneres, met Laffoon in 2000 when he was working on a comedy special for DeGeneres. They married in September 2001. These days, she is said to be seeing her TV co-star James Tupper, according to past ET Online reports.
Too many custody disputes can quickly dissolve into feuds full of character attacks and accusations. It sounds like Heche and Laffoon are beyond that phase — which is good news for their son. Click here for insight on how to create a happy, functional two-home family post-divorce.
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