Well as I was the first to say, “why do gay people want to have the marriage thing?” You know that same crap straight people get to DIVORCE. Tammy Lynn Etheridge and Melissa Etheridge are going at it and it is just like a straight couple, with divorce lawyers. Lori Howe is repping Tammy and Melissa has some short female lawyer whose name escapes me. They are fighting over children, support, property, you name it, and did I forget legal fees?

Tammy Lynn Etheridge is represented by one of the heavy-hitter partners of Trope and Trope, Lori Howe. Lori seems to be the go to gal in family law as of late, she is also representing Charlie Sheen’s X Brooke Mueller. Melissa Etheridge is being represented by “old” what’s her name, it is not important…if I could only remember those little people in that Rainbow movie, ToTo? No that is not it.


Let me be the first to say it here, Tammy Lynn Etheridge will be coming out on top in this battle, she has one of the best divorce lawyers in the city, Lori Howe, and will come out on TOP…oooops I hope that will be ok!

Forget Rome and the Coliseum, to hell with gladiators’ swords at the ready, all you had to do was be sitting in Judge Hank M. Goldberg’s Department 82 for a battle of two legal titans. We have Neal Hersh of Hersh, Mannis and Bogen representing Melissa Etheridge and her millions against Stephen Knowles of Knowles and Collum and Melissa’s ex-love Tammy Lynn Michaels. Both of these legal beagles have offices steps away from one another in Beverly Hills.

Well the comments and oratory got so heated that Neal Hersh references some of Stephen Knowles work as “slobbing and sloppy,” Knowles looks at him as if to say “you said what?” and one point warns Mr. Hersh, “Mr. Hersh does not want to get into that” in Neal’s attempts to get this back to Judge Pellman’s court. The voices were loud and I had never seen either of these two lawyers in such a jaw lock. Hersh at one point looks at Mr. Knowles and in a stern tone asks, “are you done?” and Knowles looks back adjusting his glasses and states just as sternly, “ Yes, I am done.“ Much of this stems from the fact that Stephen Knowles bagged Etheridge in New York while she was at her hotel waiting for her former love of her life, Mrs. Tammy Etheridge to bring the kids to visit. Well Tammy Etheridge aka Tammy Lynn Michaels called in sick to Mr. Etheridge or Mrs….you get it. And then someone delivered room service LMAO but it was not a snack but DIVORCE notice! Well that was all it took for these two lawyers to realize there will be no playing nice. It was a great set up and Melissa got served!

Mr. Hersh wants this case in Judge Pellman’s courtroom and Stephen Knowles position is too bad, I bagged your client first and you have not even served my client with anything! Well Judge Goldberg would step off the bench and appear to be confused as to what to do. He would come back and if he could have would have “placed his hands under his butt and rocked”…his “honor” did not really know what to do or was so baffled that he was going to send it to the “PJ” for review…or something around those lines. Too bad it was not in front of Judge Gordon or Lewis, control would have been taken and a decision made right then and there.

Reflecting on Rome and Caesar, here is another thought. Neal Hersh and Stephen Knowles are gladiators, sandals and little short togas to match. Judge Goldberg is Caesar, not one of the strong Caesars, but Caesar. The two gladiators are battling and in the end, they don’t get thumbs up or thumbs down, Caesar finds he lacks any thumbs!

Knowles went on to say that Tammy is broke and often her credit cards don’t work, Neal was quick to remind all that Melissa pays all the bills, rent , lights and water, everything and gives Tammy two grand a month plus pays for the car lease too. Knowles shoots back that she makes “60 to 70″ thousand a day and that her kids are “destitute” and that Tammy’s credit card is often declined. For many in the court that did not seem to be “destitute” and after nine years together playing house. So now my question is do you still really want to have all the rights of “straight” people? Along with the right to marriage, welcome to the world of DIVORCE and family law…write a song about that! The Neal Hershes and Stephen Knowles of the world will be happy to sing backup.