Ben Harper & Laura Dern: Divorce is a Go

While musician Ben Harper first filed papers to divorce actress Laura Dern in 2010 after five years of marriage, the couple never finalized their split and actually attempted to reconcile earlier this year. Unfortunately, their efforts to repair their marriage failed.

TMZ reports that Dern submitted a response to Harper’s 2010 divorce petition on July 6th. Given the tumultuous nature of some other high-profile celebrity divorces happening right now, what she’s requesting seems fairly straightforward:

• Primary physical custody
• Joint legal custody
• Spousal support
• Child support
• Attorneys’ fees

Primary physical custody and joint legal custody would be for their two children, son Ellery Walker and daughter Jaya. Depending on the nature of the split, child support could be just for their children, or for their children and the two children Harper has from a previous marriage, which TMZ says Dern has helped raise. A family lawyer will most likely help negotiate the support terms given the unique nature of this situation.

For those of you not in the know, Dern has been acting for more than 30 years and has starred in films such as Jurassic Park, Rambling Rose, Blue Velvet and Inland Empire. She was nominated for an Oscar for her role as the titular character in Rambling Rose in 1991. Harper is a Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter/musician with 11 studio albums and four live albums.