Melissa Left Us Destitute: Tammy

Custody battle heats up; Michaels wants spousal support
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 9, 2010 7:25 AM CDT
Melissa Left Us Destitute: Tammy
Melissa Etheridge and her partner actress Tammy Lynn Michaels, right, arrive at the 24th Annual American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Pop Music Awards, April 18, 2007 in Los Angeles.   (AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)

The Melissa Etheridge-Tammy Lynn Michaels breakup is getting nasty. Michaels’ lawyer accuses Etheridge of leaving his client with $4 to her name, and says Etheridge hasn’t given her ex or their twins any money since the split. Etheridge’s lawyer, however, tells TMZ “Melissa is paying all of Tammy's expenses, which totals tens of thousands of dollars per month.”

Michaels, who used a sperm donor and carried the couple’s children, filed for full custody yesterday. Her lawyer says Etheridge’s schedule leaves her unable to parent the children; Etheridge previously filed for joint custody. Each woman has filed for dissolution of their union: Etheridge called it a domestic partnership, but Michaels called it a marriage even though they were never legally married—because she wants spousal support.
(More Melissa Etheridge stories.)

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