Martina Navratilova in Palimony Suit Martina Navratilova in Palimony Suit by Kilian Melloy SMALL The ex-wife of champion tennis player Martina Navratilova, 52, has dragged the sporting star to court in a palimony suit for a share of assets acquired while the two were still together. Claiming that she was "kicked out on the streets with only the clothes on my back," Toni Layton, 56, who celebrated a wedding ceremony with Navratilova in 2000, seeks to enforce an alleged promise between the two that they would share their property. A June 24 article in the UK newspaper The Daily Mail reports that the property in question includes several homes that the couple purchased, to the tune of millions. Though the marriage was not a legally binding civil ceremony, Layton's suit claims that Layton is owed a portion of those assets. The article said that relationship ended in 2008. The suit seeks damages for the 'emotional, mental and physical trauma' that Layton says she was subjected to. The article quoted Layton as saying, "Martina has got a fight on her hands.

"Without any warning, my life came crashing down around me," the quote continued. "I was kicked out on the streets with only the clothes on my back." The suit regards the promise to "evenly share" property that the couple acquired during their years together as a verbal contract, including several homes, a number of vehicles, and a number of gifts Layton claims to have made to Navratilova. The article specified a monetary sum of $500,000 being sought in the suit. The article included Layton's recollections about the early days of her romance with the tennis star. The two met in New Hampshire, the article reported. Said Layton, "Our first kiss was outside a 7/11 store. "She offered me an orange, then began crying as she reminisced about the first time she had ever done that to anyone, for her beloved grandmother. "I leaned over to kiss her on the cheek in comfort and it just happened," Layton continued. "Everything fell into place for both of us." The following month the two celebrated their wedding at New Hampshire's Mount Washington State Park, the article said. Eight years later, the relationship that had begun so romantically came to an end.

Said Layton, "I was left an emotional wreck, with nothing to show for eight years of my life. "I still suffer nightmares today. It's something I don't think I will ever properly recover from." Added Layton, "But what I want now is justice. Justice for all those lost, wasted years." Layton also wants a portion of four properties the couple purchased in Florida, although that state's voters recently approved a constitutional amendment to bar marriage rights for gay and lesbian families. The enshrinement of anti-gay language in the state's bedrock law casts the success of Layton's suit into doubt. Layton gave voice to criticism of Navratilova and her GLBT equality activism in light of these factors. Said Layton, "Marti makes out she's a champion of gay rights and sees herself as an icon for the gay and lesbian community. "She has publicly urged people who are gay to 'come out' and stand up for their homosexuality. "Yet here she is, hiding behind Florida's antiquated anti same-sex laws, trying not to give me a fair deal for those eight years I was there for her at every minute of the day and night," added Layton.

"If I was a man, married or not, I'd be entitled to half of everything that she earned during those years together," Layton continued. "But because I'm a woman, it seems, rather conveniently, she believes I'm entitled to next to nothing." Said Layton, "Marti knew that when she decided it was time to get rid of me and move on with her life. And that is why I am having to sue for a breach of our partnership." Also at issue is an animal sanctuary established by the two. The 20-acre preserve is located near Nokomis, Florida; Layton says that Navratilova has put the preserve up for sale even though it gives a home to a hundred animals. The Daily Mail reported on the parallels between Layton's suit and that brought against Navratilova after the 1991 end of a seven-year relationship with Judy Nelson, who took the athlete to court seeking more than $7 million in "galimony." Navratilova was born in Prague, but defected to the U.S. in 1975.

She became one of the great athletes of the 20th century, racking up a long and impressive record of wins, including nine victories at Wimbledon. Navratilova became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1981, and came out as a lesbian that same year. Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Assistant Arts Editor. He also reviews theater for WBUR. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee. Navratilova Settles 'Palimony' Lawsuit - tribunedigital-orlandosentinel Navratilova Settles 'Palimony' Lawsuit NAMES & FACES March 14, 1992 Tennis star Martina Navratilova and former lover Judy Nelson announced late Friday that they had settled their multimillion-dollar ''palimony'' lawsuit. ''It's finished now and I can just get on with my tennis,'' Navratilova, a nine-time Wimbledon winner, said in a joint statement.

<script type=\"text/javascript\" src=\""></script>");document.close();})();' frameborder="0" scrolling="no" width="649" height="160"> ''I feel really relieved. I feel really happy,'' Nelson said. ''Things are better for both of us. We want to be friends.'' Terms of the out-of-court settlement were not disclosed. Nelson, a 45-year-old divorced mother of two, began living with Navratilova in 1984. Nelson sued the tennis star after Navratilova formally notified Nelson by letter in April 1991 that their relationship was over.

<script type=\"text/javascript\" src=\""></script>");document.close();})();' frameborder="0" scrolling="no" width="649" height="110"> MORE: SPORTS PEOPLE - TENNIS - A Shaken Navratilova Testifies at Hearing - NYTimes.com SPORTS PEOPLE: TENNIS; A Shaken Navratilova Testifies at Hearing Published: September 10, 1991 A tearful MARTINA NAVRATILOVA testified yesterday in Fort Worth that she didn't read the property agreement between her and her former companion, JUDY NELSON, who has sued the tennis star for reneging on the pact. Navratilova and Nelson met face-to-face yesterday for the first time since their breakup last April, during a hearing on whether Nelson's lawyer should be disqualified from the palimony case. The hearing will resume today. "It's not a joy ride in the park," Navratilova said after her six hours on the stand, which came two days after she lost in the finals of the United States Open.

Asked if she felt sorry for Nelson, Navratilova said, "I feel sorry for me, for everybody involved." Navratilova's lawyer contended during opening statements that Nelson's lawyer unjustly benefited from information he received while he represented Navratilova. MIKE MCCURLEY, Navratilova's lawyer, contended that because JERRY LOFTIN helped draw up the pact between the two women, he cannot legally represent Nelson in her palimony lawsuit. Loftin, in his opening statement, said that he has represented Nelson since 1977, when she was involved in a divorce. He said that to remove him from the case would deny Nelson her lawyer of choice. (AP) 'Martina will win I'm A Celebrity...' says her controversial ex lover who was on the other end of the tennis star's savage 'divorce' | Daily Mail Online comments Martina Navratilova's former lover has tipped her to win I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Judy Nelson, who did not speak to Martina for 17 years after they split from a 7 year relationship, told the Sunday Mirror: 'Oh Martina will win,' she says with total confidence.

'She loves a challenge and always has to win. 'People may wonder why she has decided to go on a TV reality show, but I think it's for the fun of it. She is very competitive and loves a challenge.' Before the break up: Martina with Judy Nelson In 1984 Martina shocked the world when she began a relationship with beauty queen Judy, who was a married mother-of-two. Then the idea of two women openly living together and bringing up children was almost unheard of. Judy thought their relationship was for life but their break-up seven years later was acrimonious with ex-beauty queen Judy suing for 'galimony'. At the height of her sporting career, 'charming' was not a word often associated with tennis ace Martina Navratilova. On court, she ruthlessly destroyed opponents, notching up a record nine Wimbledon wins, 18 Grand Slam singles titles and 167 career singles titles - more than any other player in history. To those she faced across the net, the Czech-born sportswoman was an unsmiling, uncompromising, muscular powerhouse.

Now, almost two decades after retiring from professional tennis, Navratilova is attempting to charm both her camp-mates and television audiences in ITV's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Team work: Martina Navratilova and Star Trek's George Takei in I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! Competitive and rather taciturn, she hasn't made many friends in the jungle - but her humour has become one of the highlights of the show. She has joked: 'Men give a name to their penis for one reason and one reason only. 'So they don't have a total stranger making all the decisions for them.' So will her competitive edge see her crowned Queen of the Jungle? Some 12,000 miles away in the mountains of Aspen, Colorado, one woman knows more than most just how charming - and ruthless - Navratilova can be. Popularity contest: Martina Navratilova joined other celebs in the middle of the Australian jungle Today, Judy runs a riding school and is a pillar of the local community. At 63 she still cuts an impressive figure with her fit, tanned body, perfectly coiffed hair and immaculate make-up.

Those who have taken riding lessons with her talk in glowing terms of an inspirational woman. In the past she has lobbied the US Congress and President Bill Clinton for equal rights for gay and lesbian couples. But when Judy met Martina in 1982 she was a 37-year- old archetypal southern belle: a former beauty queen, a family person, a devoted homemaker. In a move that caused a global sensation - not least in Judy's home state of Texas, where homosexuality was still outlawed - Judy left her husband and sons to become Martina's lover and full-time companion. When she recalls those passionate early days of what was to become an intense seven-year relationship, Judy, who until then had only ever been in heterosexual relationships, says: 'I was drawn to Martina. I'd never felt this for a girl before, such a confusing kind of excitement.' However, when the pair did finally split, not long after Martina's historic ninth Wimbledon win, a devastated Judy understood the decisive, some would say hard, streak that had helped make her lover a world-beater. 'When Martina decides to say goodbye, she doesn't look back. I never saw it coming.

I thought she adored me.' Feeling humiliated, Judy sued Martina for half of her earnings made during the time the pair were together. In ugly court scenes the former lovers clashed in the full glare of the media spotlight. The steely nerve and reserve which Martina showed on the tennis court crumbled in the law courts - and the vicious battle marked her indelibly. Few could have predicted the seismic effects of this love affair, which was ignited by such a seemingly innocent initial introduction. 'Mum, this is Martina. Martina, this is my Mum,' explained 11-year-old ball-boy Eddie Nelson, as he introduced the two women in the spring of 1982. The meeting seemed entirely natural as Martina was playing in a tournament in Judy's home town of Fort Worth, Texas, at which Judy had trained the ball-boys and girls. Judy was a keen tennis player, having begun playing a few years previously as an outlet for her emotions during a rocky patch in her marriage. By the time of the Fort Worth tournament, she was happily reconciled with her surgeon husband, Ed, and something of a stalwart of the local community.

'Knowing how much I loved tennis, he [Eddie] thought I'd like to meet her,' recalled Judy. In court: Judy sued Martina over abuse of an agreement made in 1986 They instantly hit it off and exchanged phone numbers and addresses. Over the next two years the two women stayed in touch and finally met again in person in March 1984, when Martina was in Texas to play a tournament. A convivial lunch ended in a kiss on the cheek, and when Martina was injured, Judy invited her to stay on in Texas at her home to recuperate. Late at night when her husband and sons had gone to bed, Judy would stay up talking intensely with her new friend. 'We would spend isolated hours together just sitting and talking about our feelings for each other.' On one occasion, when Martina was napping in the afternoon and Judy was sitting beside her on the bed, Ed came home from work unexpectedly. Although Judy maintains the two women's physical relationship had not yet started, she knew Ed sensed the electricity in the room. 'The entire room was filled with tension. I think he sensed it - the feeling in the room that there's something more going on here than friendship.

I could feel the dissolution of our marriage approaching.' Judy followed Ed to the couple's bedroom and tried to explain how she had suddenly fallen for a member of the same sex. 'This has been happening and I don't understand it. But I know our marriage is over and I'm just trying to find my way in this relationship with Martina.' In her sporting prime: Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon in 1989 Incredibly, Ed had no idea of the growing closeness between his wife and the tennis player. When he discovered their feelings were developing into a physical bond he was, says Judy, 'devastated and angry'. Martina moved into a hotel and the two women continued to see each other, unbeknown to Judy's young sons, Eddie, then 13, and Bales, 11. Two months later, Martina invited Judy to Paris to watch her play in the French Open. While she was away her two impressionable young sons found out the truth about their mother and realised their lives were about to change for ever. With his unfaithful wife thousands of miles away, a humiliated Ed Nelson told all to his sons and Judy's parents.

When Judy rang home she found everyone in tears. Her parents told her the revelation would kill them. 'The boys were on the line crying for me to come home. My heart was breaking. The boys were so young and so hurt,' recalls Judy. Together: Judy Nelson with Martina Navratilova at Eastbourne Yet despite her anguish, she made a decision which would transform all their lives. She said at the time: 'Martina was sitting next to me in the hotel room and I knew she wanted me to stay with her.' Telling her family to 'hold yourselves together', Judy opted to stay with Martina because 'this was an important time in her life'. With what some may view as callousness, others may see as evidence of Martina's charismatic hold over the conventional wife and mother, Judy recalled to friends that with a Grand Slam title at stake and a million-dollar cheque 'the timing of this episode [the tearful phone call] was not good.' But for Ed Nelson and his traumatised sons, it was just the beginning. When Judy returned home, she told her sons she would no longer be living with them.

Instead, she bought her own house nearby where the boys could split their time and installed her parents, who had overcome their earlier Methodist reservations about the lesbian relationship, as guardians while she was away. Openess: Martina Navratilova was upfront about her sexuality And Judy was away a lot. For the next seven years she accompanied Martina, living the life of a tennis gipsy. At each tournament Judy was by her side attending to every practical, emotional and physical need. It was Judy who shopped for and prepared Martina's healthy diet, Judy who booked all travel arrangements and Judy who transported the bedding Martina always carried with her so she could feel at home in hotels in the most far-flung of places. After eight months together the pair exchanged rings in a commitment ceremony in an Australian church - during a break from the tennis circuit - and even signed a document stating that if anything happened to either party or the relationship, they would share everything they had accumulated during their time together. Each year the couple holidayed in Antigua with Judy's sons. They bought several homes together, enjoyed designer wardrobes, the finest food and jewellery and counted celebrities such as actor Don Johnson and his then-wife Melanie Griffith among their friends.

They even went into business together designing tennis wear. This kept the money rolling in when, during a humiliating two-year period Martina became the only number one female tennis player to have no lucrative endorsements - probably because of her openness about her sexuality. The relationship between the stunning former beauty queen and the muscular, androgynous looking tennis player attracted attention no matter what country the couple visited Media interest reached a peak when Martina threw herself into the crowd to embrace Judy after her historic ninth Wimbledon singles title in 1990. By then, however, the cracks were already beginning to show. Martina had begun a flirtation with a female ski instructor - which she claimed was entirely innocent. It wasn't long before Judy confronted her. In a fit of pique, Martina left her lover - and took up with the ski instructor. Judy was heartbroken, but believed Martina would return. When Martina kept to her word Judy sued for palimony, citing the agreement the pair had drawn up. It was to become one of America's ugliest 'divorce' cases. Martina accused Judy and her family of being gold- diggers and said she had only ever agreed to split joint business earnings, not monies made by her tennis playing.

Judy countered saying she had the same rights as a wife in a heterosexual relationship who gave up her own career (she had previously run a restaurant) to support her partner. Charm offensive: Martina Navratilova with Joe Swash in the latest I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! But it seems there was a moment of weakness in their war. In the midst of negotiations, a melancholy Martina telephoned her former lover on Christmas morning, 1991, saying she missed Judy's sons and parents and asked if she could drop by with some presents. It didn't lead to a rapprochement - but did provide an intriguing insight into Martina's emotions. The strong family network that came with Judy was now gone and Martina missed it. Her own parents' marriage had broken down when she was just three - and Martina later learned her father had committed suicide when she was eight. In contrast, Judy's parents had lived with the pair - to help with Eddie and Bales while Martina was on tour - and the tennis player had referred to them as Bigs and Ma, as did everyone else in the family.

Bales, who spent more time with his mother and her lesbian partner than his father, was the closest Martina has ever come to a child of her own. The couple finally settled out of court, but have not spoken since. The final sum awarded has never been revealed - although we do know Judy sued Martina for around £8million, approximately half the money she had made during their time together. Judy was also allowed to keep the house in Aspen they had specially built, worth more than $1million at the time. Shortly after the split from Judy, Martina is said to have contacted an Italian fertility doctor to help her conceive a child artificially. Frosty: Martina and Judy at court No child was ever born and today, at 52, she says she would like to adopt with her partner of seven years, fashion PR executive, Antoinette Layton-Lambert, whose privacy she guards fiercely. Judy never returned to her husband - or indeed, to the arms of a man again. In a final twist, she sought comfort in the arms of one of Martina's ex-lovers, novelist Rita Mae Brown, a keen horsewoman, who had also had her fingers burned by Martina.

Indeed, when Martina dumped her, an enraged Rita Mae pulled a gun on her. Nevertheless, they were to become friends again. Indeed, of all her lovers, Judy is the only one who will not speak to Martina. Nor will the family who Martina had grown to love as her own - a family which has now expanded to include Judy's three grandchildren. And for a woman who is used to winning every ace, it must still sting Martina to know that those she cared about most of all are the ones who got away. But such angst remains well hidden in the celebrity jungle. Indeed, would any of Martina's C-List competitors realise that beneath her calm and guarded exterior lies such a turbulent and troubled heart? Articles about Judy Nelson - latimes Navratilova, Former Companion Reach Settlement of Lawsuit March 14, 1992 | Associated Press Martina Navratilova and her former live-in companion reached a settlement late Friday that ends their "palimony" suit, the tennis star's attorney said.

Gary DeShazo of Austin, Tex., said the terms of the settlement are confidential because "everybody wanted the secrecy." "They made a deal they can both live with," DeShazo said Friday night. "I think it's OK. It's a case that should have been resolved earlier." Advertisement Jurisprudence November 14, 1991 | From Staff and Wire Reports Tennis star Martina Navratilova is suing her former attorney for not protecting her from a palimony lawsuit filed by her former live-in lover, Judy Nelson. The attorney, Jerry Loftin, represented Nelson in the palimony lawsuit. SPORTS Jurisprudence November 14, 1991 | From Staff and Wire Reports Tennis star Martina Navratilova is suing her former attorney for not protecting her from a palimony lawsuit filed by her former live-in lover, Judy Nelson. The attorney, Jerry Loftin, represented Nelson in the palimony lawsuit. SPORTS On Navratilova Story, NBC Could Have Kept Viewers in the Dark July 6, 1991 NBC reached new lows last weekend by interrupting its Wimbledon coverage to interview Judy Nelson.

Her and Martina's story is one better left in the closet. BAXTER SCRUGGS Leucadia SPORTS Navratilova, Former Companion Reach Settlement of Lawsuit March 14, 1992 | Associated Press Martina Navratilova and her former live-in companion reached a settlement late Friday that ends their "palimony" suit, the tennis star's attorney said. Gary DeShazo of Austin, Tex., said the terms of the settlement are confidential because "everybody wanted the secrecy." "They made a deal they can both live with," DeShazo said Friday night. "I think it's OK. It's a case that should have been resolved earlier." CALIFORNIA | LOCAL Mothers of Victims Weep as Evidence Is Shown at Kraft Trial October 4, 1988 | JERRY HICKS, Times Staff Writer The mothers of two young men whom Randy Steven Kraft is accused of killing cried and hugged each other Monday after watching the first day of testimony about their sons' deaths, including large-screen color photographs of one son's nude body.

"It's a driving force within you that makes you be there," said Shirley DeVaul, one of the mothers, explaining why they sat through the gruesome details. "You just have to know what happened." SPORTS Tennis July 27, 1991 | From Staff and Wire Reports Martina Navratilova said the woman with whom she "lived as man and wife" betrayed her by tricking her into signing a cohabitation agreement that could ruin her financially. Claiming that through naivete she never read the agreement, Navratilova said on ABC's "20/20" that she believed Judy Nelson "truly loved me." The interview was televised Friday night. "But I also now believe that this was pretty much organized ahead of time," Navratilova told Barbara Walters. SPORTS Tennis July 27, 1991 | From Staff and Wire Reports Martina Navratilova said the woman with whom she "lived as man and wife" betrayed her by tricking her into signing a cohabitation agreement that could ruin her financially.

Claiming that through naivete she never read the agreement, Navratilova said on ABC's "20/20" that she believed Judy Nelson "truly loved me." The interview was televised Friday night. "But I also now believe that this was pretty much organized ahead of time," Navratilova told Barbara Walters. SPORTS On Navratilova Story, NBC Could Have Kept Viewers in the Dark July 6, 1991 NBC reached new lows last weekend by interrupting its Wimbledon coverage to interview Judy Nelson. Her and Martina's story is one better left in the closet. BAXTER SCRUGGS Leucadia SPORTS Miscellany June 15, 1991 | From Staff and Wire Reports Martina Navratilova has been granted a continuance for a deposition requested in the lawsuit filed by her former companion, Judy Nelson. The deposition was originally scheduled for July 2, when Navratilova is scheduled to compete at Wimbledon.

CALIFORNIA | LOCAL Mothers of Victims Weep as Evidence Is Shown at Kraft Trial October 4, 1988 | JERRY HICKS, Times Staff Writer The mothers of two young men whom Randy Steven Kraft is accused of killing cried and hugged each other Monday after watching the first day of testimony about their sons' deaths, including large-screen color photographs of one son's nude body. "It's a driving force within you that makes you be there," said Shirley DeVaul, one of the mothers, explaining why they sat through the gruesome details. "You just have to know what happened." Same-sex suit turns on partner definition - News - Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Sarasota, FL Same-sex suit turns on partner definition Tuesday Oct 6, 2009 at 12:01 AM By ZAC ANDERSON Same-sex couples cannot marry in Florida, but they could face some of the financial complications associated with divorce if a lawsuit against tennis legend Martina Navratilova succeeds. Navratilova's former partner, Toni Layton, is seeking half of the money and assets gained during the couple's relationship from 2000 to 2008.

But because Florida law recognizes few legal benefits or obligations between same-sex couples, Layton's lawyer, Raymond Rafool, is making the novel argument in Sarasota County circuit court that the relationship was a "partnership" similar to a business venture. The pair shared homes in Colorado, a $1.3 million beach cottage on Manasota Key, property on Casey Key, an animal sanctuary in eastern Sarasota County, fancy cars, expensive jewelry and collectible "frog art." Layton was left with little after the split, Rafool said. Experts say the lawsuit could set a precedent for same-sex couples. "The case could have very broad implications," said Bruce Carolan, a visiting professor with the Stetson University College of Law and an expert in business partnership law. Rafool said Florida's "archaic laws" regarding same-sex couples forced him to be creative. "In the law, that's what you have to do in Florida in order to receive fair compensation," said Rafool, a Coral Gables attorney who has represented high-profile divorce clients, including Linda Bollea, former wife of professional wrestler Terry "Hulk Hogan" Bollea. Navratilova is not commenting on the case.

She sold her residence on Casey Key last year and no longer lives in Sarasota County, according to her publicist. "We're taking the position this is a private matter and we're not going to be making any statements," said Navratilova's lawyer, Barry Greenberg. But according to legal documents filed by Greenberg, the case is a "thinly disguised action for palimony" and baseless because "neither gay marriage nor a cause of action for palimony is recognized by the State of Florida." Palimony claims apply some of the same principals as alimony to unmarried relationships, but Florida's constitutional amendment last year banning gay marriage also said that "no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized." Read broadly, that could undermine legal claims for palimony, said University of Florida law professor and family law expert Nancy Dowd. Same-sex legal claims are especially vulnerable because "Florida has been pretty antagonistic to recognizing rights for same-sex couples," Dowd said. "If there is a business relationship, it wouldn't matter the sexual orientation of the partners," Dowd added. Navratilova was sued for palimony in 1991 when her relationship with former Miss Texas Judy Nelson ended.

That case was settled out of court. The tennis star is now reported to be dating a Russian model and former Miss Soviet Union. Carolan has never seen partnership law applied to a romantic relationship but said the language of the law is open to interpretation. "There would be nothing that would rule out the possibility that these categories would overlap -- that one could be in a familial and loving relationship and also in a business relationship," Carolan said. "The question to me is 'What is the business? And was it being operated for profit?' " Layton said in court filings that she helped Navratilova with her tennis, logistics, career and celebrity-related sponsorships. But is an athlete a business? "That's the $64,000 question," Carolan said, noting that he mentioned the case to his students and "they're all over the map" on the business question. According to Rafool, Layton met Navratilova through a mutual friend at a tennis event.

Layton also claimed part ownership of more than a dozen vehicles, guns, African pictures, an Apple computer, pets, electronics, a Vince Salvati painting, Wyland animal sculptures, a porcelain cookie bowl, an iron turtle wall hanging and a variety of other property worth more than $1.5 million combined. About Us SPORTS PEOPLE - TENNIS - Game, Suit, Match - NYTimes.com SPORTS PEOPLE: TENNIS; Game, Suit, Match Published: March 15, 1992 MARTINA NAVRATILOVA said the high costs of battling JUDY NELSON in a palimony lawsuit finally forced her to settle the matter out of court. Navratilova, a nine-time Wimbledon champion, and Nelson signed a settlement on Friday that apparently ends eight months of legal wrangling that began shortly after their breakup last April. "It's too costly, and now I can just get on with everything," Navratilova told KXAS-TV in Fort Worth.

"The lawyers are laughing all the way to the bank." GARY DeSHAZO, a lawyer in Austin, Tex., who is representing Navratilova, said terms of the settlement are confidential because "everybody wanted secrecy." But attorneys on both sides disclosed that Nelson will receive a $1.3 million home in Aspen, Colo. Nelson, 45 years old, and Navratilova, 34, signed a "nonmarital cohabitation agreement" in 1986. In the videotaped agreement, Nelson was to get half of the estimated $5 million to $9 million earned during their seven-year relationship. But Nelson contended in the lawsuit that Navratilova broke the pact. The settlement apparently clears the way for Nelson to write a book about her relationship with Navratilova. The possibility of a book was a bone of contention that jettisoned attempts at a settlement last fall. "This book I would have written if Martina and I were together still," Nelson told KXAS.

"I think she'll love it." Navratilova's response: "Apparently, it's only about our relationship and that has been pretty well documented, so I don't know what there could be of more interest to the general public. But Judy feels the need to talk about it, so I'm not going to stop her." Navratilova still has a malpractice lawsuit pending against her former attorney, JERRY LOFTIN, who initially represented Nelson in the palimony case. Navratilova contends that Loftin failed to provide her adequate legal advice. That lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial this summer in Fort Worth. (AP) Photo: Martina Navratilova (Associated Press) Articles about Palimony - tribunedigital-orlandosentinel Suits And Settlements January 27, 2002 Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin reveals she reached a settlement several years ago with Lynne McTaggart, who complained she wasn't properly credited for passages in Goodwin's 1987 book, The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys.

Goodwin said this week that her use of McTaggart's words from the 1983 Kathleen Kennedy: Her Life and Times, without proper credit, was "absolutely not" plagiarism. Writer Neil Gaiman, creator of the Sandman comic-book series, has sued another comic-book creator, alleging fraud, copyright violations and nonpayment of royalties. Advertisement Navratilova Settles 'Palimony' Lawsuit March 14, 1992 Tennis star Martina Navratilova and former lover Judy Nelson announced late Friday that they had settled their multimillion-dollar ''palimony'' lawsuit.''It's finished now and I can just get on with my tennis,'' Navratilova, a nine-time Wimbledon winner, said in a joint statement.''I feel really relieved. I feel really happy,'' Nelson said. ''Things are better for both of us. We want to be friends.''Terms of the out-of-court settlement were not disclosed.Nelson, a 45-year-old divorced mother of two, began living with Navratilova in 1984.

LOCAL Bond's Latest Beauty Is Hidden Behind Barrel Of A Gun In Israel November 29, 1999 The new James Bond movie The World Is Not Enough was more than enough for ultra-orthodox Jews in Israel, whose religious feelings prompted a touch-up of steamy billboards. Co-star Sophie Marceau's sexy evening dress was repainted with sleeves, and instead of leaning against Bond star Pierce Brosnan, she was hidden behind the barrel of his gun.FLOCKHART ISN'T ALLY, AND SHE CAN PROVE IT ON STAGE IN LOS ANGELESCalista Flockhart says she's nothing like her character in Ally McBeal, but she doesn't mind that some people confuse her with the fancifully neurotic lawyer. LOCAL Caruso's Publicist Disses Palimony Suit October 6, 1994 David Caruso's publicist has lashed back at a $4 million-plus palimony suit brought by the actor's former girlfriend. Caruso, said Stan Rosenfield, never agreed to share his earnings with ex-pal Paris Papiro. ''Show me the paper it was written on,'' Rosenfield said. Papiro claims the departing NYPD Blue star promised to share his earnings.

Rosenfield said the suit is without merit and should be dismissed. LIFESTYLE 'Palimony' Lawsuits Are Still Rare By Philadelphia Inquirer, June 24, 1991 Fifteen years after Michelle Triola Marvin's highly publicized lawsuit against Lee Marvin made palimony a household word, Americans have yet to embrace the idea.Some lawyers still tout palimony as an evolving, fruitful device that simply has yet to ripen, but in practice the lawsuits are few.It was 1976 when the California Supreme Court rocked many a waterbed with its ruling in ''Marvin v. Marvin.'' The court declared that domestic contracts between unmarried, cohabiting couples were valid so long as sex wasn't the only commodity being traded. LOCAL Court Refuses To Revive Cliburn 'Palimony' Suit July 18, 1997 The state 2nd Court of Appeals refused Thursday to revive a former friend's breach-of-contract suit against Van Cliburn. But on a procedural ruling, the court kept alive the man's claim that he may have been exposed to HIV during a long relationship with the famous pianist.

In a 13-page opinion, a three-judge panel of the court said Thomas Zaremba's case seeking ''multiple millions'' of dollars from Cliburn amounts to a ''palimony'' suit, which Texas law made illegal in 1987 unless based on a written agreement. LOCAL Court Hearing This Week In Griffin's Palimony Suit July 2, 1991 Brent Plott, who has seeking palimony from Merv Griffin, has filed additional papers to his suit in Los Angeles Superior Court, in which he states that he shared the entertainer's master bedroom and that Griffin's lawyer offered him $40,000 in January to sign away all rights to Griffin's wealth. The first court hearing in the case is Wednesday. SPORTS Pga Champ Daly Staring At Palimony, Paternity Suit?

January 17, 1992 John Daly, the winner of 1991 PGA Championship, may soon face a palimony and paternity suit from his former girlfriend, lawyer Marvin Mitchelson said Thursday.Daly and Bettye Fulford broke up ''just before Christmas,'' said Mitchelson, known for handling suits involving celebrities.''We're trying to work out something right now, and if we don't, we're going to have to file an action next week, probably for palimony and paternity as well,'' he said from Los Angeles.Mitchelson said Fulford is pregnant. LOCAL Flashlight Mogul Ordered To Pay $84 Million Palimony May 15, 1994 The longtime companion and business partner of flashlight magnate Anthony Maglica was awarded $84 million in a palimony settlement. Jurors ruled Friday that Maglica, the 64-year-old founder and president of Ontario-based Mag Instruments Inc., breached his financial duty to 60-year-old Claire Maglica. The Maglicas rushed out of the courtroom and declined to answer questions. The Anaheim Hills couple lived together for 23 years while Maglica built a small machine shop into a $400 million flashlight business.

LOCAL Court Refuses To Revive Cliburn 'Palimony' Suit July 18, 1997 The state 2nd Court of Appeals refused Thursday to revive a former friend's breach-of-contract suit against Van Cliburn. But on a procedural ruling, the court kept alive the man's claim that he may have been exposed to HIV during a long relationship with the famous pianist. In a 13-page opinion, a three-judge panel of the court said Thomas Zaremba's case seeking ''multiple millions'' of dollars from Cliburn amounts to a ''palimony'' suit, which Texas law made illegal in 1987 unless based on a written agreement. LOCAL Music Legends To Perform At Rock Museum Opening June 7, 1995 Legions of legends, including Bruce Springsteen and Chuck Berry, will come together for a concert Sept. 2 to mark the grand opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland. The lineup also includes the artist formerly known as Prince, the Allman Brothers Band, Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Little Richard, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, John Mellencamp and the Pretenders.

Tickets for the show at Cleveland Stadium go on sale nationwide on June 24 through Ticketmaster outlets. Plans for a worldwide TV broadcast will be announced soon. LIFESTYLE Wine, Roses, Fine Print: Isn't Palimony Grand? By Loraine O'Connell of The Sentinel Staff, April 28, 1995 What a racket.The pursuit of palimony, I mean.It seems that the ex-girlfriend of yet another actor - Christian Slater this time - is trying to wring some more money out of him now that they've split up.Nina Huang makes the usual claim - that she ''gave up'' some nebulous career to shack up with Slater, whose most recent flicks were Interview With the Vampire and Murder in the First.Some reports have Huang insisting she did so because Slater wanted her undivided attention.Gag me with a court order. LOCAL Christian Slater named in palimony suitChristian Slater is... April 21, 1995 Christian Slater named in palimony suitChristian Slater is being sued for palimony by a woman who says he promised to give her half his earnings during the time they lived together if they ever split up.

Slater, whose recent films include Interview With the Vampire and Murder in the First, said through a publicist he knew nothing about the lawsuit. Nina Huang says in the suit that she lived with Slater off and on in Van Nuys, Calif., from 1990 until she was barred from his home last week. LOCAL Caruso's Publicist Disses Palimony Suit October 6, 1994 David Caruso's publicist has lashed back at a $4 million-plus palimony suit brought by the actor's former girlfriend. Caruso, said Stan Rosenfield, never agreed to share his earnings with ex-pal Paris Papiro. ''Show me the paper it was written on,'' Rosenfield said. Papiro claims the departing NYPD Blue star promised to share his earnings. Rosenfield said the suit is without merit and should be dismissed. LOCAL $4 Million Palimony Suit Filed Against David Caruso October 5, 1994 David Caruso may be walking out on NYPD Blue, but he can't just up and leave his former companion, the woman claims in a $4 million palimony lawsuit. Paris Papiro's lawsuit claims Caruso failed to honor their agreement to share money earned during their years together.

The two broke up after ABC's NYPD Blue ended its first season. Caruso ended the relationship after signing a $2 million deal for the movie Jade, according to Papiro's lawyer, Jay M. Coggan. Caruso withdrew the $122,000 in the couple's joint checking account, canceled credit cards and then insisted she move out, Coggan said. LOCAL $4 Million Palimony Suit Filed Against David Caruso October 5, 1994 David Caruso may be walking out on NYPD Blue, but he can't just up and leave his former companion, the woman claims in a $4 million palimony lawsuit. Paris Papiro's lawsuit claims Caruso failed to honor their agreement to share money earned during their years together. The two broke up after ABC's NYPD Blue ended its first season. Caruso ended the relationship after signing a $2 million deal for the movie Jade, according to Papiro's lawyer, Jay M. Coggan. Caruso withdrew the $122,000 in the couple's joint checking account, canceled credit cards and then insisted she move out, Coggan said. LIFESTYLE Wine, Roses, Fine Print: Isn't Palimony Grand?

By Loraine O'Connell of The Sentinel Staff, April 28, 1995 What a racket.The pursuit of palimony, I mean.It seems that the ex-girlfriend of yet another actor - Christian Slater this time - is trying to wring some more money out of him now that they've split up.Nina Huang makes the usual claim - that she ''gave up'' some nebulous career to shack up with Slater, whose most recent flicks were Interview With the Vampire and Murder in the First.Some reports have Huang insisting she did so because Slater wanted her undivided attention.Gag me with a court order. Flashlight Mogul Ordered To Pay $84 Million Palimony May 15, 1994 The longtime companion and business partner of flashlight magnate Anthony Maglica was awarded $84 million in a palimony settlement. Jurors ruled Friday that Maglica, the 64-year-old founder and president of Ontario-based Mag Instruments Inc., breached his financial duty to 60-year-old Claire Maglica. The Maglicas rushed out of the courtroom and declined to answer questions.

The Anaheim Hills couple lived together for 23 years while Maglica built a small machine shop into a $400 million flashlight business. LOCAL William Hurt In Court Again Over Affairs Of The Heart October 26, 1993 Having survived a 1989 legal battle with an ex-lover who wanted palimony, actor William Hurt is on his way back to court. His soon-to-be ex-wife, Heidi, whom he married during the palimony proceedings, is battling with him over money and wants access to his 1992 income tax returns. He says she signed a prenuptial agreement so he doesn't have to show her the returns. Love Match No More Love Match No More Email FOR THOSE WHO KNEW MARTINA NAVRATILOVA best, it was a moment of surpassing emotion. Last July 7, under an unusually sunny English sky, Navratilova defeated Zina Garrison 6-4, 6-1 at Centre Court, winning her record-breaking ninth Wimbledon singles championship, more than any man or other woman in history.

As Garrison mishit her final backhand, Navratilova raised her arms, sank to sore knees and scanned the crowd for longtime companion Judy Nelson, the honey-blond former Texas beauty queen who six years before had left a husband and two children to live with her. As their eyes met, both women burst into tears. What a difference a year makes. This week, as Navratilova, 34, makes another run at Wimbledon history, Nelson, 45, will be conspicuously absent. In April, she received a perfunctory letter from Navratilova, officially ending their seven-year relationship. A month ago, Nelson filed suit in a Texas court, asking for 50 percent of all money and property Navratilova has acquired since 1984. After failed negotiations with Navratilova, Nelson produced a 15-page “nonmarital cohabitation agreement” that she and Navratilova signed in 1986—which her lawyer says may entitle her to between $5 million and $10 million. “For seven years I have supported and assisted Martina, sacrificing many of my own personal goals in the process,” Nelson said.

“She has left me and pursued another relationship. She is now refusing to abide by the very terms of the partnership agreement and left my life in disarray.” Navratilova learned of the lawsuit just before she left for England; after a practice session, she was served a notice of suit. (Innocently, the server asked for Navratilova’s autograph before handing her the papers. A furious Navratilova asked for the autograph back.) In her view, Nelson’s “terribly malicious” timing was hardly an accident. Ignoring charges that she violated any contractual obligations to Nelson, Navratilova says, “…I not only took care of Judy, but of course her family, provided help with her parents and her kids—her two sons and their friends—flying people all over the place….That wasn’t enough, I guess.” It is an ugly end to what, by all accounts, has been the happiest of alternative marriages. According to Nelson, things began to come unstrung last January, at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. “I was upset about some things that had transpired, and I told [Martina] if these things were true that we needed to be separated,” says Nelson.

“She more or less just said, ‘Okay, then, goodbye.’ When we got home, she left. Later she called me and said, ‘We’re through.’ I was devastated…. I’ve called her and asked her to talk, but she always put me off. These are emotional issues, and Martina doesn’t like to deal with emotional things. The most emotion you’ll ever see from her is on the court.” Did Martina leave her for somebody else? Nelson snaps bitterly, “What do you think?” she says. “Martina doesn’t like to be alone.” The split had been rumored among the couple’s friends. Martina had been spending more time away from Judy, seeing new friends in Colorado, among them former U.S. ski team star Cindy Nelson, 35, now director of skiing at Vail and Beaver Creek. (Through a spokeswoman, Cindy Nelson denied that she has anything other than a friendship with Navratilova.) “I did not leave Judy Nelson for a younger woman or anyone else,” says Martina.

“We simply parted.” Navratilova first met Judy Hill Nelson in 1982 at a tournament in Fort Worth, where Hill’s son Edward, then 11, was a ball boy. “It was just one of those things where you know instantly you’re going to be friends,” recalls Nelson. Navratilova had previously lived with lesbian author Rita Mae Brown. In 1984 she ran into Nelson again, at a Virginia Slims tournament in Dallas. Local papers soon reported that Nelson and her husband, Edward, a prominent internist, had become friendly with the tennis star. In June, she invited the Nelsons to Wimbledon. Edward declined; Judy never came home. When Navratilova and Nelson returned to Fort Worth, it was as a couple. Together, they moved into a costly town house. Even Nelson’s lawyer, Jerry Loftin, says the relationship was “the subject of much notoriety” in conservative Fort Worth. Nelson’s husband gained custody of their two sons in a nondisputed agreement, but Navratilova sometimes pitched in to drive car pools for the boys. A few years later she gave Judy’s son Eddie a Porsche 944, which she had won in a tournament.

Soon after the relationship began, Nelson and her family joined the ranks of coaches and friends who made up Navratilova’s travel entourage. Judy’s brother, Sarge, now 47, signed on as director of the Martina Youth Foundation. Nelson’s mother helped Judy with designs for Navratilova’s new clothing line, MN. Nelson was perceived by some of Martina’s friends as flaunting her partner’s largess. “The jewels Judy has,” says one person familiar with the circuit, “the earrings, the bracelets, the diamonds, the rubies! And those were just the casual jewels she wore on the circuit.” Judy says that on occasion, the couple gave each other jewelry. According to Nelson, both she and Navratilova wanted the now-disputed partnership agreement to express “our relationship as equals. Just as we shared views on the environment and animal rights, it was one more issue we agreed on. Maybe I was out designing clothes and she was out practicing tennis, but we wanted it clear that we were equal partners.” Navratilova now claims naïveté about the agreement.

“It seemed a lot more complicated than what I had drawn up myself, and it said quite different things.” Snorts Judy, “Martina is much more sophisticated in contractual matters than I.” To buttress Navratilova’s assertion that the partnership was less than official, her lawyer produced undated, handwritten notes she made, apparently before the signing. In part, they read: “Judy gets the Rolls-Royce…her horse (Cat’s Ghost or the black stallion she’s looking for now), $3000 for every year we live together starting in March 1984.” So why did Navratilova sign the agreement? Navratilova says, “I just trusted everybody because here I was with Judy and her lawyer [in fact, a friend who was a paralegal]….I cannot believe she is doing it for money.” Others can, since Nelson willingly led the life of a globe-trotting tennis spouse. About nine months a year, she accompanied Navratilova on the circuit; the rest of the time was divided between a Trump Plaza apartment in New York City and houses in Fort Worth and Aspen, where they moved a few years ago.

Last year the couple began construction of a 7,000-sq. ft. house set atop 100 acres Navratilova purchased at Castle Creek, near Aspen. The dramatic two-bedroom stucco and glass house—which includes an indoor lap pool and a barn for seven horses—was a joint project. “We both designed it,” says Nelson. “I was the one who suggested we buy the land.” By all accounts, Navratilova and Nelson shunned the Aspen party scene in favor of hiking, horseback riding, mushrooming, skiing at Ajax Mountain and working out at the Aspen Club, which is co-owned by Navratilova’s friend, former touring tennis pro Julie Anthony. Although Navratilova is a member of the exclusive Caribou Club—along with race car driver Danny Sullivan, Michael and Diandra Douglas, and Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith—she and Nelson rarely went there. Martina made it a point, though, to appear at community benefits, a practice Judy says she encouraged to improve Navratilova’s image. “Martina is a major player for every local charity,” says Harley Baldwin, owner of the club.

“She’s always there when you need her.” To Nelson’s apparent surprise, however, Navratilova wasn’t there after the breakup. “One day I went to order flowers for a friend of ours who had just had a baby,” she says, recounting what she regards as a particularly galling indignity. “Martina was out of town, and I was told I no longer had credit there. I couldn’t go to the club to work out. I couldn’t go out to eat at restaurants, nothing. IMG [International Management Group, Navratilova’s agent] paid for the utilities at the house and that’s about all.” Judy says her sons have been hurt by the split as well, adding that Navratilova has not bothered to contact them. Unless Nelson and Navratilova can resolve their differences, a Texas court will hear the case sometime after Sept. 10. In the meantime, Navratilova is trying to concentrate on a 10th Wimbledon singles title. “A year ago I didn’t know if I would get the record at Wimbledon because my body was so sore,” she told reporters.

“But at least I thought I knew where I was going to live and who I was going to live with once my career did end. Now I don’t know anything, except that all I can do is play the best tennis I can.” SUSAN REED ANNE MAIER in Fort Worth and VICKIE BANE in Aspen Show Full Article Navratilova proposes to girlfriend at US Open | Page Six Navratilova proposes to girlfriend at US Open Navratilova and Lemigova Saturday at the US Open. Reuters More On: A-Rod's a ladies' man It’s Love! Love! for tennis titan Martina Navratilova , who got down on bended knee and proposed to her longtime girlfriend Julia Lemigova at the US Open Saturday. “We’ve been together six years and I can’t imagine my life without you. Please marry me,” the 57-year-old former world No. 1 asked her 42-year-old former Russian beauty queen girlfriend. Lemigova said yes and embraced her tennis-pro honey . Thousands roared, as the romantic moment inside the Tennis Channel suite at Arthur Ashe Stadium was broadcast across the stadium jumbotrons.

The proposal followed the first men’s semi-final match, in which top seed Novak Djokovic was trounced 6-3 by Japan’s Kei Nishikori. Navratilova on one knee proposing to Lemigova.Larry Marano We’re told Navratilova — who is covering the tournament for the Tennis Channel — presented Lemigova with a three carat diamond engagement ring. The couple wore outfits designed by top New York fashion designer Nicole Miller, a family friend. A source told The Post that the couple plans to marry “as soon as possible,” in Miami Dade, Florida. A nervous-looking Navratilova noted that gay marriage is illegal in their home state. “I want to talk to you, Julia,” she began. “I know we can’t do this yet in Florida.” “They live in Coconut Grove, but they plan to travel to Miami-Dade for the wedding as it is one of the only counties in Florida that allows gay marriage,” the source said.

“Martina wants to hold the wedding there to campaign for gay marriage equality in Florida and elsewhere.” Navratilova and Lemigova on Saturday.Reuters Navratilova, described by Billie Jean King as “the greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player who’s ever lived,” has been in a relationship with Lemigova — the last Miss USSR before the collapse of the Soviet Union and a Miss Universe Runner up — since 2006. Lemigova has two children from a previous marriage, and now runs a skincare business. Navratilova has no children of her own, and previously described the joys of parenting after Lemigova and her children moved in with her. She told The BBC’s Radio 4 in 2012, “I never really got the opportunity to have a child, but I am in a relationship now with my partner and she has two girls, so I am a parent now.” She added, “Its difficult, two girls, but it’s fun, its amazing.” Lemigova was also at Navratilova’s side during her successful battle with breast cancer in 2010.

The tennis ace told the Huffington Post two years later, “It reinforced my philosophy, which is always kind of ‘seize the day’ and get the most out of what I have at the moment.” Romance has sometimes been a rocky, costly and publicly embarrassing journey for Navratilova. Twice before, her longterm relationships have ended in ugly public palimony suits seeking half her fortune. EPA In 1991, she split with seven-year girlfriend Judy Nelson, herself a former Texas beauty queen, who sued for a $7.5 million in a case that eventually settled for half that amount. Nelson penned two books slamming the tennis star: “Love Match: Nelson vs. Navratilova,” and “Choices: My Journey After Leaving My Husband for Martina and a Lesbian Life.” In 2009, her girlfriend of eight years, Toni Layton, took to the civil courts to demand a 50-50 split of the tennis star’s fortune, which included four multi-million-dollar homes. “Martina has got a fight on her hands,” Layton hissed in a press statement. “Without any warning, my life came crashing down around me.

I was kicked out on the streets with only the clothes on my back… What I want now is justice,” Layton wrote. “Justice for all those lost, wasted years.” That suit settled for an estimated $3 million.

Question: Which tennis star was sued for palimony by Judy Nelson?
Answer: Martina Navratilova