Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck divorce filing shows power play, but expert warns 'gloves might come off'
Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce from estranged husband Ben Affleck with little fanfare, according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
The "Jenny From the Block" singer filed the divorce herself in Los Angeles County Superior Court Tuesday without using a lawyer, according to People magazine. She listed April 26 as their date of separation.
Lopez's decision to file without an attorney could send immediate red flags, but celebrity divorce attorney Christopher Melcher, partner at Walzer Melcher & Yoda LLP, noted Lopez "is not doing a thing without legal counsel."
JENNIFER LOPEZ, BEN AFFLECK DIVORCE AFTER TWO YEARS OF MARRIAGE
"Filing a divorce case was required for the marital status of the parties to be terminated. If there is no dispute, the paperwork can be processed without listing an attorney of record," Melcher told Fox News Digital.
"Jennifer filed first, which shows that she is taking the lead in getting this done."
Reports surfaced that Affleck and Lopez didn't have a prenuptial agreement when they were married in 2022, but Melcher was hesitant to reach any judgment on a division of assets.
"Jennifer was not required to disclose on the court forms whether she entered into a premarital agreement with Ben, so no conclusions should be reached about the existence or non-existence of a prenup," he said.
"It would be par for the course for a couple like this to have a premarital agreement in place.
"Although this marriage lasted only two years, the parties have significant wealth, and that makes a divorce complex. They can maintain privacy by agreeing on all aspects of their split."
Holly Davis, founding partner of Kirker Davis LLP, believes Lopez is trying to create the "most drama-free divorce possible" by filing under the radar.
"They are moving slowly and deliberately, and the slow pace seems to indicate extreme caution and sensitivity on both Ben and Jen’s part," Davis said. "But if we don’t see finalization soon, that might indicate some aspect of this is becoming contentious and that there is some difficulty reaching amicable agreements. Then the gloves might come off."
Affleck, 52, and Lopez, 55, first said "I do" during a surprise Las Vegas wedding in 2022. One month later, the newlyweds hosted a backyard ceremony for friends and family at the $8 million Georgia mansion Affleck bought when the couple first began dating 20 years ago.
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Lopez filed the divorce documents on the second anniversary of their Georgia wedding, which may have been a declaration in and of itself.
"Her timing was, of course, revealing," Marilyn Chinitz, partner at Blank Rome, told Fox News Digital. "I think that's a real statement. 'I'm done. I'm ready to move on.' Because they, you know, I suspect they really suffered going through these several months, and I think she just decided 'I'm ready to be done.'"
Chinitz believed the former couple had "a mediator who helped work with them to come to a resolution" so the filing was more of an "administrative" task.
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"She's smart enough to know that she would need counsel, and I think that they've already worked it out," she said. "We've got to give them credit. They're both hugely successful. They've both made a lot of money. They both have children from prior marriages who they want to protect. We know that their kids, all of them, have played a big part in their lives.
"I'm sure that she and he both put those kids first, and they did not want to have more drama in their lives to put their kids in. So, that's why I think most likely they worked with a mediator to settle this."
Brand expert Doug Eldridge agreed that Lopez was trying to send a message with her filing, but her brand may have already suffered from months of dodging relationship rumors with her fourth husband.
"Knowing Lopez — and her stranglehold on image management — this was definitely part of the discussion, but I'd imagine it's more like the ‘duck theory.' Above the surface, you see the calm head looking side to side, but below the waterline, the legs are kicking fervently and trying to move things forward while giving the illusion of ease," Eldridge told Fox News Digital.
Eldridge went on to say he believes "Lopez lost the marital narrative soon after the horse left the stable, as Affleck became a walking meme of marital discord."
Eldridge added, "While many find it funny, Lopez — who's known for a short fuse and a hot temper — is far less tolerant of anything that undercuts her marketability. The litany of paparazzi shots capturing Affleck's misery seemed oddly authentic, while the staged event photos looked more like something from Olan Mills in the '80s — everybody saw them, nobody liked them."
Fox News Digital's Larry FInk contributed to this report