Poker champ’s ex-wife appeals Nevada divorce

In the coming weeks, the Nevada Supreme Court will hear the appeal of Luciaetta Ivey, the ex-wife of well-known poker champ Phil Ivey. In her appeal, Luciaetta will allegedly show that her ex-husband had improper communication with the judge who oversaw the couple’s Nevada divorce, which she claims created a conflict of interest that requires the divorce ruling to be thrown out.

According to the family court filings, Luciaetta is seeking to prove that her ex-husband communicated with the family court judge outside the acceptable judge-litigant contact. In addition, she is claiming that Ivey made improper contributions to the political campaign of the judge that oversaw the couple’s divorce case. Because the judge decided the case despite the blatant conflict of interest, she claims, the decision should be overturned.

In her appeal, Luciaetta also claims that Ivey stopped paying court-ordered spousal support in April. Ivey has not responded to his ex-wife’s appeal, either publicly or in a court filing of his own. The couple was married for seven years before they decided to divorce in December 2009. It is unknown when the divorce became final, but Luciaetta is believed to have filed her appeal immediately after that date.

Ivey is one of the most well-known poker players in the world. He has won eight World Series of Poker championships, and regularly appears on televised poker games on NBC and other networks. He was estimated to be worth over $100 million prior to the demise of Full Tilt Poker, and his current net worth is not known.

Source: Compatible Poker, “Phil Ivey Caught Cheating During Divorce?” Nov. 17, 2011