Judge OKs Bill Murray Divorce

South Carolina judge signs off on settlement between the comic actor and estranged wife

By Josh Grossberg Jun 26, 2008 8:44 PMTags
Bill Murray, Jennifer MurrayAP Photo/Kevork Djansezian

Bill Murray got a quickie.

A judge in Charleston, S.C., has signed off on a divorce settlement between the comic actor and his wife of more than 10 years, less than a month and a half after she filed her petition.

According to court papers filed June 13, Jennifer Butler Murray was given custody of the estranged couple's four children. Additionally, she was awarded the family residence on South Carolina's Sullivan's Island and a home in Hemet, Calif.

The Ghostbusters star was granted visitation rights and agreed to foot child support. He'll also have to pony up a onetime sum of $7 million per their prenup.

Attorneys for the two parties couldn't be reached for comment.

Murray's former missus filed for divorce on May 12 in a bombshell petition accusing the onetime Oscar nominee of "frequent abandonment" and numerous infidelities, physical abuse (including one incident of striking her in the face) and addictions to marijuana, alcohol and sex.

But what looked like a potentially tawdry court battle was quickly swept under the rug after the judge ordered court documents sealed at the pair's request.