On Wednesday, VH1.com reported on a story about the legal battle between Eminem and his estranged wife, Kim Mathers, which appeared in The Detroit Free Press. After speaking with Mathers' lawyer Neil Rockind, however, we have learned
that the story contained some inaccuracies:
• The Free Press wrongly reported that Kim dropped her suit against Eminem for emotional distress caused by the lyrics to songs like "Kim." "Kim didn't drop her $10 million lawsuit for emotional distress," Rockind told VH1.com. Instead, Rockind said, the suit was settled, "meaning that each party was able to come to an agreement."
• While both Eminem and Kim Mathers retained joint legal custody of 4-year-old Hailie Mathers, it's important to emphasize that Kim won physical custody of her daughter. Eminem will still enjoy "liberal visitation rights."
"Kim left the courthouse on Monday very pleased with what took place," Rockind added. "She's looking forward to this opportunity to take care of her daughter."
He also emphasized that there are still many outstanding issues in the case Mathers vs. Mathers, including child support, spousal support, and identifying the value of and dividing marital assets.
Rockind said resolving the above will be a "monumental task. [Eminem] is a guy who has his hands in a lot of pots: from albums to personal appearances, a new book, newly recorded and written songs, production companies, and groups he represents. She has a rightful share in all of those entities and we're gonna see to it that she gets her share.
"During the course of this case," Rockind asserted, "people are going to discover that when [Eminem] was nothing, nobody, Kim played a huge, significant role in helping him advance his career. I liken it to the classic scenario where a wife or girlfriend puts a lawyer or doctor through law or medical school. They've been dating since she was 14 years old and he was 17 - that's 11 years."
Eminem faced a reckoning of a different sort on Thursday, August 31, when he was due to appear in court on assault and weapons charges stemming from a June 4 incident. Eminem is alleged to have pistol-whipped 26-year-old John Guerra after reportedly seeing him kiss Kim Mathers outside a Warren, Mich., nightclub.
Sonicnet reported that Eminem was unlikely to testify at Thursday's hearing, and that his lawyers would advise Eminem to waive his right to a preliminary examination and go straight to trial. Eminem's attorney Brian Legghio told Sonicnet, "In these cases where it involves an unloaded firearm - and I want to emphasize unloaded - it may be best for a client to waive [the court exam]. You're always concerned about a witness who may reach, embellish, and stretch their testimony."
If convicted on the charges, Eminem could face 17 months in jail. On top of that, he still faces an $11 million defamation suit brought by his mother, Debbie Mathers-Briggs, as well as criminal charges stemming from an altercation with an associate of the Insane Clown Posse.
Who ever said being a gangsta rapper was easy?
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