• 17
  • February
    2011

Although prominent actress Eva Longoria and pro basketball player Tony Parker are accustomed to the spotlight, they hope that the legal finality of their divorce will take some of the attention away from their personal lives. Divorce is an emotionally draining process for anyone, but when the media constantly questions you about your pending divorce case the psychological tax may even be a bit greater.

Longoria and Parker were wed in July of 2007 and lived a highly documented marriage until 2011. Their divorce came quickly after Longoria spoke publicly of Parker's infidelity; Apparently, Parker's phone provided evidence of an affair through a series of text messages he had with another woman. Regardless of the specific reasons that their marriage ended, they were both able to quickly start a new chapter in their lives because of a premarital agreement.

Their Prenuptial Agreement

Before Longoria and Parker married they formed a premarital agreement - also commonly known as a prenuptial agreement or "prenup". A premarital agreement allows couples to choose specific assets that remain in the individual's name. Prenuptials are practical tools that an increasing number of Texas couples are using to provide some certainty in an unforeseeable future.

The Longoria-Parker prenuptial agreement is apparently valid and binding, as Longoria's and Parker's attorneys ensured that they complied with the strict legal requirements for a premarital contract to be enforceable. If-and only if-couples validly form their prenup, Texas law will generally hold the parties to the terms of their agreement.

While Longoria and Parker never expected their marriage to fail, their decision to plan ahead for the unexpected saved them a lot of time and money. Common ground is much harder to find once a couple has decided to split, so making important agreements before marriage can prevent drawn-out divorce litigation.