Tim Duncan Divorced in Secret Hearing


It’s now officially over — following a messy legal battle, San Antonio Spurs superstar Tim Duncan has separated from his wife Amy after 12 years of marriage. Per the Express-News: “In an unusual and secret hearing Tuesday that didn’t even occur at the Bexar County Courthouse, state District Judge David A. Canales granted the divorce between Duncan and his college sweetheart, Amy. The judge later said that he held the hearing during his lunch hour at the offices of Tim Duncan’s lawyer, Sue Hall, at her request. The couple and their lawyers were present. Several court observers saw the special request as unusual given that so-called ‘home’ visits by judges are not normally afforded to the general public. ‘I would say it’s highly unusual, but I think it would be highly disruptive for them to come to court,’ said attorney Jean Brown, who practices family law. Canales said it wasn’t out of the ordinary for a judge to hold an on-the-record hearing off-site, though it was the first time he has been asked to do it. Notice of the hearing appeared nowhere on any public docket. Canales said that when a judge gets an agreement in a divorce case, it is not necessary to give public notice of a hearing. He added that the parties felt uncomfortable coming to court because of the possible ‘paparazzi’ factor — people taking pictures of them or asking for autographs. ‘I don’t see it as doing a special favor for the sake of a favor,’ Canales said. ‘These folks were involved in a very private matter. It was mainly for privacy.’ […] Amy Duncan initiated the divorce proceedings March 27. Tim Duncan responded with a counterpetition … The Duncans were college sweethearts at Wake Forest University, where Tim starred on the Deacons basketball team and Amy was a cheerleader. Tim graduated in 1997 and was the first overall pick in the NBA draft, made by the Spurs. The couple married July 21, 2001, and have a daughter and a son, records show. Little explanation is given for the breakup.”