'Dancing With the Stars' Pro Cheryl Burke Makes Unexpected Divorce Decision
Cheryl Burke's divorce from her ex, Matthew Lawrence, is taking an interesting turn. The Dancing With the Stars pro separated from Lawrence in February and filed for divorce shortly after. According to Us Weekly, Burke is pressing Lawrence to move forward with the divorce by requesting a trial to settle both sides, which both sides have signed off on at this point.
According to Us Weekly, the legal documents note that the trial would last around three days and can't be scheduled as a short cause matter unless all involved parties agree on a set length of one day or less. The case would cover the official end of the marriage, spousal support, division of the couple's property, attorney fees and other legal costs.
"Cheryl's attorney filed a request for trial setting because he's trying to push the other side to move and get things done," Family law attorney Goldie Schon told Us Weekly about the trial option. "He's trying to push it because it's going to take probably three months to get a trial setting conference on [the] calendar – it's an appointment to get the court to set a trial six months later. So, they'll get a request for a trial setting conference probably in August or September to go to the courthouse to sit in front of the judge and get another date for the trial. This is not happening any time soon. They're trying to get in front of a judge to resolve issues."
This falls in line with how Burke has publicly responded to the divorce and her efforts to move on and find her "Zen." She also explained how the split has tested her sobriety, likely making the need for speed more of a necessity than a simple request. "Certainly, it appears she's wanting to speed up the process and wants to get this done. She wants to just put this in the rearview mirror and she doesn't want to deal with any of these issues and call it a day like it never happened," Schon told Us Weekly, giving their view of the legal move. "Filing a trial setting this early in the game tells me that she just wants to get this done – faster than possibly the family court will allow."
Burke has been as open as she wants to be about her relationship ending, kindly informing fans of the decision back in February. "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," Burke wrote. "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."
The pro-dancer has also kept most of her discussion since about her own struggles and her own personal behavior, keeping any criticism of Lawrence under wraps. Still, Schon did pour some cold water on the decision with Us Weekly. "It's premature. This is simply someone trying to [press] the fast forward button, faster than what the court most likely allows for. You got to give both sides opportunity to be heard – you can't try to speed that up. Everyone has a right to their due process. ... They'll probably get a date 2-3 months down the line but by that point I think things will move a little bit more and I don't think this case is ever going to see a trial. This isn't a three-day trial, as indicated. There's not enough meat to it."
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