Two years after the start of the initial divorce proceedings, Golden Globe winning actress Laura Dern, 46, and two-time Grammy winning musician Ben Harper, 43, have officially divorced. The couple married in 2005 after dating for 5 years, and have two children, a son, Ellery, 11, and daughter, Jaya, 8. Harper also has children with his first wife, a 16-year-old son, Charles, and 13-year-old daughter, Harris, to whom Dern has taken a stepmother role since their relationship began.
On October 8, 2010, Harper filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences, asking for joint legal and physical custody of their children and asking the court to deny Dern spousal support. Harper claimed that the couple had been separated since January 1st, although they had been traveling together throughout 2010, and reportedly shocked Dern with the filing. The couple reconciled briefly in January of 2012 when they attended the Golden Globes together, where Dern received an award for best actress. By the summer of 2012, they had separated again. Dern restarted their divorce proceedings, citing irreconcilable differences, asking for shared custody, spousal and child support and for Harper to pay the attorney fees.
The divorce was finalized on Sept 11, 2013, with neither spouse being awarded spousal support. Although the settlement terms were confidential, sources connected to the couple claim that they have agreed on joint custody with Dern having more access to the children with a minimal award of child support.
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