Hulk Bodyslams Alimony, Custody Claims

When it comes to the terms of his divorce from wife Linda Bollea, Hulk Hogan is more than convinced he knows best.

The wrestler, whose real name is Terry Bollea, has filed a counterpetition to his wife's divorce suit. In his filing, the Hulkster contests his missus' call for unspecified alimony and child support, as well as her bid for primary custody of the duo's speed-demon son, Nick, claiming the 17-year-old should be able to decide for himself with which parent he wishes to reside.

The Hogan Knows Best stars, who have been married for 24 years, also have a daughter, aspiring pop star Brooke, but she's 19 and not subject to custody arrangements.

In his filing, the 54-year-old mustachioed patriarch left no point undisputed, even questioning the marriage date Linda listed on her divorce petition, filed last week. While she jotted down Dec. 12, 1983 as the big day, the semiretired WWE icon claimed it was actually Dec. 18. Public records back up his timeline.

One thing there doesn't seem to be much disagreement on is when things went sour for the duo. Per court documents, they separated in September, a month after their son's car crash left his passenger, Iraq veteran John Graziano, hospitalized in a coma.

In her petition, Linda sought legal custody of Nick until his 18th birthday next July, although she said she was open to "liberal visitation" for the grappler.

In his reply, Terry countered that "it would be in the best interest for the parties to have shared parental responsibility."

Linda, 48, has also requested half of the couple's shared assets, which include more than $9.5 million in real-estate holdings, as well as unspecified amounts of alimony and child support. She also wants him to cover all her legal expenses. Hulk, meanwhile, said in his filing that Linda was more than capable of supporting herself and helping to support their son.

He did, however, indicate he would continue to provide health insurance for the family.

As for Linda's claim to half the couple's assets, Hulk's petition mentions "numerous liabilities, contingent liabilities, obligations and debts which must be resolved as part of any equitable distribution that may be accomplished by the court."

Linda's attorney, Elliot Jay Goldstein, told southern Florida's Herald-Tribune newspaper Thursday that he has already filed a response to the wrestler's petition by mail, though did not disclose its content.

Along with Terry Hogan's counterpetition, depositions given by Deborah and Michael Graziano, the mother and brother of John Graziano, were released Thursday. The 22-year-old is expected to spend the rest of his life in a nursing home, requiring constant care.

Nick Bollea is facing charges of felony reckless driving involving serious bodily injury as a result of the crash. Police are currently investigating whether the crash occurred as a result of illegal racing. Shortly after the accident, the teen told Deborah that the smash was caused when he was unable to avoid a standing water puddle and skidded into a tree.

"He said they were driving, and he saw a puddle, and he tried to avoid it, but there was a car next to him that he couldn't get around," she told prosecutors. "So, they hit the puddle and hydroplaned."

Per the newly released documents, Clearwater Police Officer David Nugent questioned the statement, saying neither he nor his fellow investigator "saw any standing water that could result in a hydroplane situation."

Meanwhile, Nick's attorney, Kevin Hayslett, defended his client's statement, saying the water, a result of a recent rainfall, "was a contributing if not the proximate cause of this accident."

In her deposition, Deborah also said that Terry Bollea was "very upset" that his son took the 1998 Toyota Supra out with his three friends, but was unable to stop them as he was in the shower when they decided to leave the house in the vehicle.

"He said...he always takes too long in the shower, and the kids were tired of waiting for him," she said. "And if he didn't take so long maybe they would have waited for him and then they wouldn't have taken that car and gone."

The Grazianos, who are separated and have different representation, have said that they plan on filing suit against the Bollea family.

by Gina Serpe
Fri, 30 Nov 2007 01:55:24 PM PST

Source: http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=d82187a5-cc5a-445e-b630-e41ac90dc0c3