TRENTON, N.J. -- New Jersey Nets star Jason Kidd filed for
divorce from his wife of 10 years Tuesday, accusing her of
"extreme cruelty" throughout their marriage.
Kidd
In the dissolution papers, filed in state Superior Court in
Bergen County, Kidd accuses Joumana Kidd of physically and mentally
abusing him, threatening to make false domestic violence complaints
against him to police and of interfering with his relationship
with his children.
"The defendant's extreme and unwarranted jealousy and rage has
left the plaintiff concerned about her emotional stability," the
papers say.
The divorce filing came less than a day after the 33-year-old
NBA player filed a domestic violence complaint seeking a temporary
restraining order against his wife.
"Jason Kidd filed for divorce from his wife today on the
grounds of extreme cruelty over a long period of time," Kidd's
attorney, Madeline Marzano-Lesnevich, said in a statement Tuesday.
"As this is an extremely difficult personal matter, I ask that the
privacy of the Kidd family be respected."
The complaint, however, attempts to paint a detailed portrait of
Joumana Kidd as a vitriolic, jealous and paranoid wife prone to
public outbursts and threats, including during a recent Nets game.
According to the complaint, Joumana Kidd used the couple's
8-year-old son on Dec. 27 to sneak into the Nets locker room and
rummage through Jason Kidd's locker to find his cell phone. After
looking up the names and numbers on it, the complaint said she left
her son behind as she went upstairs to take a front row seat,
where she shouted insults at Kidd throughout the game.
The papers accuse Joumana Kidd of kicking, hitting, punching and
throwing household objects at her husband as she became
"increasingly controlling and manipulative" in the last few years
of their union.
According to Kidd, his wife had tracking devices installed on
his cars and computers and has harassed his trainer, friends and
family.
The Kidds were married in 1997 and live in Saddle River. They
were involved in a domestic violence matter six years ago when he
was playing for the Phoenix Suns.
In that incident, Jason Kidd was arrested in January 2001 after
his wife told police he hit her during an argument over their son,
Trey Jason (T.J.), who was 2 at the time. Kidd pleaded guilty to
spousal abuse, was fined $200 and ordered to take anger management
training.
Besides 8-year-old T.J., the Kidds have 4-year-old twin
daughters, Miah and Jazelle.
Despite the numerous accusations by Kidd in the complaint, he
did not ask for sole custody of the children.
"It is in the best interest that the parties share physical and legal custody of the children," the complaint said.
Kidd will make more than $18 million this season.
The Kidds' home phone number is unlisted. An after-hours message
left for Joumana Kidd's lawyer was not immediately returned.
"I can't talk about my personal stuff," Jason Kidd said following the Nets' 101-86 victory over Toronto on Tuesday night. "I hope you guys will respect this tough situation my family is going through and that we can resolve this as quickly as possible."