Cheryl Burke May Go to Trial Over Her Dog in Divorce From Matthew Lawrence

Cheryl Burke and Matthew Lawrence’s divorce may be finalized, but they might be preparing themselves for another legal battle. PEOPLE reported that Burke and Lawrence could head to trial over custody of their dog. The Dancing With the Stars pro opened up about the subject during Sunday’s episode of her Burke in the Game podcast.

Burke began the episode by recalling how she learned that her divorce was hospitalized on the day of the DWTS Season 31 premiere. She said, “It’s still not over because we have to maybe go to trial — well, we are going to go to trial, unless [Lawrence] all of the sudden calls it off. That will happen in January. I’m still just really hurt by the whole situation.” While their divorce may be finalized, there’s one more thing that the pair have to determine — custody of dog Ysabella.

As Burke explained, Ysabella is like her “daughter” and she can’t imagine losing custody of her. The professional dancer said, “That’s my dog. Ysabella is my daughter; I’m a dog mom, and that’s it. I couldn’t even imagine my life — I mean, I could just cry right now. But I couldn’t imagine my life without her.” They may still have to hammer out the custody of Ysabella, but Burke and Lawrence’s divorce is finalized. PEOPLE obtained documents regarding their divorce, which outlined that the divorced couple agreed to divide their two properties evenly. The documents also note that no spousal support was requested by either party. There was a prenuptial agreement in place, which they agreed to uphold.  

It was reported in February that Burke filed for divorce after three years of marriage. She cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split. Burke has been especially open about the situation since the news broke. She issued a statement to her fans shortly after the divorce announcement went public, which read, “I know I have always said I’m an open book with you guys, I do strive to be, and in writing this I’ve realized there really isn’t an easy way to announce that my marriage is ending. I hope you can understand that I will not be commenting any further at this time and am asking for understanding and privacy. Thank you all for all the kind words and support you’ve given me.”