Jenna Dewan Accuses Ex-Husband Channing Tatum of ‘Stonewalling Discovery’ in Fight Over ‘Magic Mike’ Profits
Jenna Dewan accused her ex-husband Channing Tatum of "stonewalling discovery" as they prepare to face off in a court trial over Magic Mike profits, In Touch can exclusively report.
According to court documents obtained by In Touch, Jenna, 43, asked a judge to pause the entire case and issue a protective order. She accused Channing, 44, of adding a new law firm, Glaser Weil, to his legal team.
Jenna said the firm had previously represented “the parties’ interests during the marriage.”
She said the firm was “conflicted as a result of the marital representation, and therefore, the association is improper and prejudicial to Jenna.” Jenna said due to the new firm working with Channing’s current firm, she believes the current firm should also be disqualified.
The actress said all the depositions and discovery in the case should be paused until the court rules on her motion on Channing’s lawyers.
Jenna was scheduled to be deposed late last month. Her lawyer added, “In addition to the improper association of counsel, Channing and his team have aggressively obstructed Jenna's efforts to obtain necessary documents that she formally requested he produce at his deposition.”
Jenna said she should not be forced to sit for a deposition until Channing produces the requested documents.
Her lawyer said, “Jenna reasonably contends that this Association of Counsel is improper given that Glaser Weil, (a) represented the marital community's interest in Magic Mike during the marriage; (b) are necessary percipient third-party witnesses to the Magic Mike transactions giving rise to this litigation; and (c) may have assisted Channing Tatum in breaching his fiduciary duty to the community by way of various transactions architected and implemented by Glaser Weil.”
Jenna said she anticipated Channing and his counsel accusing her of delaying the proceedings with the motion.
Her lawyer said, “Nothing can be further from the truth. On the contrary, Channing is causing delaying by undertaking a tactic to suppress evidence in the possession of 'joint attorneys' by retaining those 'joint attorneys' to now solely represent him against their former client, Jenna.”
Jenna’s lawyer added, “As this is so beyond the pale of what would normally be expected in a family law proceedings, there is nothing that can be done but pivot to the disqualification issues. Further, that pivot is only necessary because Channing and his team are actively engaged in a strategy permeated with bad faith.”
As In Touch first reported, Channing opposed Jenna’s request. He said that “[Jenna] is not and never was a member of the LLC and otherwise has had no involvement with LLC. She was never a client of [the firm] and has never spoken to a single attorney at the firm.”
Channing accused Jenna of using the motion as a “tactical maneuver” to avoid her deposition and drag out the divorce. Jenna and Channing wed in 2009 and split in 2018. The couple quickly hashed out an agreement over custody of their daughter, Everly. However, they have not been able to see eye-to-eye on the division of their assets, specifically, how to split the profits from the Magic Mike empire.
Channing starred in the 2012 film Magic Mike, in which he stars as a male stripper, during the marriage.
The film was a success and two sequels were produced.
On top of that, Channing and his business partners have licensed the brand, created a live show, and produced a reality show on HBO. In her recent motion, she accused Channing of failing to turn over financial documents related to profits from the Magic Mike businesses.
She said, “Not only has Channing refused to produce these material documents at his deposition, he recently retained the same firm that prepared many of the documents during the marriage, namely Glaser Weil, and he is now asserting attorney-client privilege with respect to those marital documents prepared by the firm.”
Jenna believes she deserves 50 percent of Channing’s cut in the empire. She said she helped Channing during the creation of various Magic Mike projects. Channing does not agree with her position and they have been unable to reach a settlement.
The exes are now heading to trial on the issues. A judge has yet to rule on Jenna’s motion to disqualify Channing’s lawyers or to pause the case.
