Jennifer Lopez made a bold – and probably strategic – move when she filed for divorce Ben Affleck without the involvement of a lawyer.
“She’s probably sending the message that there won’t be any argument,” celebrity divorce lawyer Chris Melcher exclusively told We weekly on Wednesday, August 21, about Lopez’s decision.
Melcher, a partner at the California law firm Walzer Melcher & Yoda and not involved in the case, said it was the “first time” he had seen a “high-profile person” like Lopez, 55, file for divorce without identifying an attorney.
“I think that’s intentional to send the message that it’s not going to be a fight,” he reiterated, noting that divorce proceedings in California are public record, so if Lopez and Affleck, 55, do indeed end up in a lengthy legal battle, it would be put in the spotlight.
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Melcher said it would be “damaging to their brand if they fought in court,” which is why the lawyer believes Lopez and Affleck had already “resolved most of these issues before going public with the lawsuit.”
“This may be the first step we see as a public, (but it) may actually be one of the last steps in their divorce settlement,” he continued, explaining that while Lopez filed the divorce petition without legal representation, she most likely received help from an attorney in doing so.
Lopez and Affleck married in July 2022 after rekindling their romance a year earlier. The couple were engaged in the early 2000s before marrying others and having children. (Lopez has twins Max and Emme, 16, with her ex-husband Marc Anthony. Affleck shares Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12, with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner.)
Earlier this year, Affleck and Lopez sparked speculation of a split after eagle-eyed fans noticed that the two had not been seen together for 47 days. Us confirmed in May that Affleck had moved out of their shared Beverly Hills mansion. Affleck later bought a new home in Los Angeles without Lopez and the duo did not celebrate their anniversary together last month.
Us confirmed on Tuesday, August 20, that Lopez filed for divorce in Los Angeles and submitted the paperwork herself instead of using an attorney as is customary.
While Lopez listed April 26 as her separation date, she waited to file for divorce until the second anniversary of her wedding to Affleck in Georgia. (The singer and actor married quietly in Las Vegas in July 2022 before hosting a larger wedding for friends and family in August 2022.)
“The timing of the divorce was a big fuck you for Ben,” a source told exclusively Us after Lopez decided to cut ties with Affleck.
However, Melcher said Us on Wednesday that Lopez’s filing first did not give her a major advantage in the divorce, saying the “slight” head start she received was due to “controlling the speed of the proceedings.”
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The attorney explained that if a trial were to take place, Lopez would speak first because she filed the divorce petition before Affleck. “The real benefit of filing the divorce petition first is to take the initiative and make it look like Jennifer is the one making the decision to end the marriage,” Melcher continued. “But for all practical purposes, there can only be one plaintiff and one defendant. So there is no such thing as a joint filing for divorce.”
Melcher noted that in the Lopez v. Affleck case, “the lawyers and accountants are working behind the scenes to help the party resolve any issues. The final step in these cases is filing for divorce because only a judge can overturn the divorce petition.”
He speculated that the actors “have probably already agreed on how to divide their duties and we will see them emerge sometime later with an amicable divorce decree.”
With reporting by Sarah Jones
