Judge urges Phil Collins, ex-wife Orianne Cevey to mediate amid tense court battle over star's home: report
Collins' ex refuses to leave his Miami mansion following their split, reports say
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A judge on Wednesday compelled Phil Collins and his ex-wife Orianne Cevey to sort out their differences over their current court battle regarding the singer's Florida mansion.
The former Genesis frontman, 69, is fighting to take back control of his $33 million beachfront Miami mansion which Cevey, 46, is allegedly occupying with her new husband.
Ahead of a hearing scheduled for Monday, a judge overseeing the case reportedly encouraged Collins and Cevey to take part in mediation over Zoom.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The court will issue an order then compelling mediation by close of business Friday," he said in a preliminary hearing, according to the Daily Mail. "Everyone can participate on Zoom."
PHIL COLLINS’ EX-WIFE HAS ALLEGEDLY TAKEN OVER HIS MIAMI MANSION WITH ‘ARMED OCCUPATION’: REPORT
Phil Collins is locked in a bitter court battle with his ex Orianne Cevey, who reportedly refuses to leave his Miami mansion. (Elena Di Vincenzo/Archivio Elena Di Vincenzo/Mondadori via Getty Images)
Earlier this month, the Miami Herald reported that Cevey broke up with Collins via text message back in August and then went to Las Vegas and married her musician boyfriend. They returned to Miami and allegedly refuse to leave the mansion--reportedly hiring four armed guards to patrol the property--and changed all the security codes.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In addition, the outlet reports that the couple has allegedly blocked surveillance cameras as well as barred real estate agents from showing the home.
The court documents state the new couple is allegedly "threatening, implicitly and explicitly, to prolong their unlawful occupation of the property through force" even though the property is “100 percent” owned by Collins.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Orianne Cevey reportedly broke up with Phil Collins over a text message in August. (John Parra/Getty Images)
The musician is reportedly worried about the condition of his property and valuable memorabilia inside. Collins believes there is a "substantial risk that Mrs. Bates [Cevey] or Mr. Bates or their agents will remove, conceal or destroy valuable and irreplaceable personal property," per the documents, according to the Miami Herald.
Documents also revealed that Cevey reportedly owns a $1 million apartment in Las Vegas and could live there.
Collins' and Cevey's attorneys did not immediately respond to Fox News' requests for comment on Thursday, but an attorney for the singer previously told the Miami Herald in a statement: “Mrs. Bates, as she is now known, is trying to shake down Phil Collins for money, and as his attorney and former federal prosecutor, I have zero tolerance for that type of behavior. I’m going to use every legal remedy to get her out of the house.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Meanwhile, Cevey’s lawyer Frank Maister previously told the outlet, “We will deal with Mr. Collins in the courthouse, not the gossip column."
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Collins and Cevey married in 1999 and had two kids together. They originally split in 2006 and she reportedly received a $46.7 million divorce settlement in 2008.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In 2016, the couple reunited and began living together again, although they never remarried. Their two sons are reportedly not living in the Miami mansion with their mother.
Fox News' Jessica Napoli contributed to this report.