A little over a year after filing for divorce from Kanye West, a Los Angeles judge has declared Kim Kardashian legally single.

At a hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, Judge Steven Cochran said he would grant the reality star’s request to split her divorce from West into two parts — immediately ending their marriage while punting more complex questions about assets and custody to future proceedings.

Kardashian attended the hearing via videoconference, represented in person by prominent divorce lawyer Laura Wasser. West, who did not attend the hearing, was repped by Samantha Spector, another well-known Hollywood family attorney.

West had objected to the plan last month, arguing that it would create a “risk of adverse consequences” and demanding several changes, including restrictions on what would happen if Kardashian quickly remarried.

At Wednesday’s hearing, Wasser criticized Kanye’s objections and demands, and Judge Cochran also sounded skeptical, saying they seemed mostly “theoretical.” Spector said her camp was not trying to “block this from happening” but simply “trying to make sure that Mr. West’s rights are protected.”

In the end, Judge Cochran granted one of West’s requests — about what would happen if either star dies before the divorce case is finalized. But he denied two others, including the restriction on Kardashian if she chooses to remarry.

Wednesday’s order came just over a year after Kardashian filed for divorce from West in February 2021 after six years of marriage. Both sides initially said that the split would be amicable, but the relationship between the two superstars has turned increasingly acrimonious in the year since, as both have begun public romances with new partners.

Kardashian requested the quick-split maneuver in December, but West filed objections last month. Kardashian quickly fired back, asking Judge Cochran to reject the “onerous conditions” and complaining that West had caused her “emotional distress” with social media outbursts. Kanye then called those claims “hearsay” and suggested he might challenge the validity of their prenuptial agreement.

Just a day before Wednesday’s session, Kanye fired his attorney Chris Melcher, and replaced him with Spector, a well-known Hollywood divorce attorney who recent represented Dr. Dre’s wife.

At the hearing, Kardashian briefly spoke to Judge Cochran, answering a series of questions under oath. For instance, the judge asked, “Did you have problems, disputes, differences causing a breakdown of your marriage?” Kardashian replied with a simple “yes.”

The ruling means that Kardashian’s legal name will immediately revert from “Kardashian West” to simply “Kardashian.” And it sets the stage for future proceedings on more complex issues like custody and the division of assets, though the pair of superstars reportedly kept their belongings separate during the marriage.

The next hearing in the case is set for August.

 

(SOURCE: BILLBOARD)