Whitney Houston's 14-year
marriage to Bobby Brown will officially end later this month and
she will gain custody of the couple's teenage daughter, a judge
ruled.
The singer dabbed her eyes with a tissue as Orange County Superior
Court Judge Franz E. Miller ruled the divorce will become final on
April 24. Brown did not attend the hearing Wednesday.
Houston testified she did not need spousal or child support and
that her 14-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina, could not depend on
Brown. "He's unreliable," Houston told the judge. "If he says he's
going to come, sometimes he does. Usually he doesn't."
After the hearing, Houston declined to comment to reporters.
Brown's attorney, Ram Cogan, said he will seek to overturn the
judge's decision. Houston filed divorce papers in October, citing
irreconcilable differences. She was granted a default judgement in
December to speed up the divorce. Miller's ruling Wednesday upheld
the terms of that judgement.
Houston and Brown wed in 1992, when she was at the height of her
fame as a Grammy-winning superstar known for hits such as I
Will Always Love You.
During their tumultuous marriage, Brown was arrested for drugs and
alcohol, and Houston twice entered drug rehabilitation
programs.