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McCartney and Mills Come Together in Court

Thu., Mar. 1, 2007 12:56 PM PST by Sarah Hall

Paul McCartney and Heather Mills are ready to get back to the business of breaking up.

The estranged duo came face-to-face Thursday for the second day in a row in London's High Court for a preliminary hearing in their divorce proceedings.

Mills, 38, arrived at the courthouse first, without speaking to reporters. McCartney, 64, followed soon after, using the back door in an attempt to avoid the media crush.

The two-hour hearing took place behind closed doors and no official details were revealed, leading to rampant speculation about the motivation for the court encounter.

In a joint statement issued through their attorneys Thursday, Mills and McCartney decried the inaccurate press coverage of their divorce and asked that their privacy be respected.

"Since the breakdown of the marriage there has been a significant amount of misreporting in the press, including this morning's report in [London's] Sun of yesterday's hearing," the statement read.

"The parties both ask the media please to respect their privacy and the confidentiality of the proceedings, as they work to settle the outstanding issues between them in their divorce."

Though the court documents remained under wraps, actions seemed to speak louder than words for the warring twosome.

Upon leaving the building after the hearing, a smiling McCartney reportedly whistled, snapped his fingers and flashed a gesture that some to be a peace sign, while others interpreted it as a "V" for victory.

In contrast, Mills reportedly appeared solemn when she made her exit from the courthouse 15 minutes later, wearing large sunglasses that obscured her eyes.

Lawyers for both sides have reportedly been trying to hammer out a settlement in the case in order to put an end to the bitter divorce battle that has become an increasingly public affair. In January, Mills' lawyers denied reports that she had accepted a $63 million settlement, stating that no agreement had been reached.

While both Mills and McCartney declared their parting "amicable" at the time of their May 2006 split, the situation quickly deteriorated.

Though British law prohibits the publishing of allegations made in divorce cases, the details of a damning deposition given by Mills in response to McCartney's divorce filing were leaked to the press in October, including her contention that McCartney had been both verbally and physically abusive during their four-year marriage.

McCartney vehemently denied the claims, but said he would reserve his defense for the courtroom in order to preserve "some dignity in what is a private matter."

For her part, Mills launched legal action against several publications that printed her claims, accusing them of making "false, damaging and immensely upsetting statements about her."

Because the couple had no prenuptial agreement, Mills could potentially walk away from the split with a sizable chunk of the $1.6 million fortune amassed by her ex-Beatle soon-to-be ex-husband. Also at stake is custody of the couple's three-year-old daughter, Beatrice.