Westley Hargrave/Splash NewsBend it like Beckham and ER actress Parminder Nagra is on the receiving end of a lawsuit filed by her estranged husband, James Stenson, who's demanding monetary damages stemming from several properties they purchased together, citing an oral agreement the two allegedly made to share their wealth as "life partners" before tying the knot in 2009.
Talk about a shock to the system.
"Prior to their marriage, Stenson and Nagra were life partners for nearly six years," reads the complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court yesterday and obtained by E! News. "During the period of their cohabitation, they were in a loving, committed relationship and had an express (oral) or implied agreement to share their lives and their property, both real and personal."
The suit goes on to state that Stenson and Nagra met in January 2003 and began living together in London. But after she joined the cast of ER, he claims the thesp asked him to "join her in all of her business and personal ventures and to combine his life with hers."
According to court papers, he agreed and moved to Los Angeles, giving up a career as a photographer earning upwards of $300,000 a year so that he could "provide services and emotional support for their life together," not to mention managing their real estate, various investments and helping to pay the mortgage and various other expenses.
The couple, who have a 2-year-old son, split up after the 36-year-old Bend It Like Beckham star filed for divorce in February, citing irreconcilable differences.
Stenson is seeking at least $500,000 in damages, and a 50-percent interest in three properties that Nagra purchased before their marriage.
A rep for Nagra was unavailable for comment.
—Reporting by Baker Machado