Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Barden Fights Wife's Claim, Seeks Divorce

Cancer-stricken entrepreneur Don Barden has responded to his wife's request of a judge to have him declared incompetent to handle his far-flung business interests by filing for divorce.

In papers filed Monday in Wayne Circuit Court, Barden asked for a divorce from his wife of 21 years, Bella Marshall, 60. And in answer to Marshall's request filed last week to have the 67-year-old real estate developer and casino owner declared incompetent, Barden accused her of acting in a "scurrilous and slanderous manner."

"Here is a man, fighting to recover from cancer, and he gets slammed with these papers that say, 'I'm going to the probate court and having you declared incompetent.' That's just not fair at all," Barden's lawyer, Henry Baskin, said Monday.

Marshall's lawyer said she had anticipated her husband's release in the new year from in-patient treatment at Karmanos Cancer Institute and arranged for 24-hour home nursing care. But Barden never showed up.

Barden's lawyer said not coming home was Barden's conscious decision.

"I visited him for a couple of hours, and I talked to the doctors at Karmanos," said Baskin. "He is able to run his business. He is able to make decisions about his personal life without hesitation. He does not have what was portrayed in public as a disabling brain cancer. He is not well. He has lung cancer, and he is getting treatment for it."

Attached to the court filings is a statement signed by Barden, stating: "I am mentally capable of making decisions affecting my business interests, my marriage and my future. I suffer no disability which would prevent a clear and concise statement that I am of sound mind and aware of the proceedings that have been filed by my wife."

Full Article and Source:
Barden Fights Wife's Claim, Seeks Divorce

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bella Marshall needs a conservator. She is truly a piece of work and a very troubled woman. What a horrible person. KARMA WILL NOT BE PLEASANT FOR HER. Bella, you may need an exorcism or a partial lobatomy. YOU are not right in the head!!

Norma said...

He needs to fight now before the conservatorship gets its hooks in him.

Anon, I don't know about Bella needing a conservator -- I think you're crossing the line here.

I would suspect that her lawyer is leading her down this path and she has no idea that it truly is the wrong path.

Anonymous said...

I hope that Bella is simply misled. Regarding her needing a conservator, that comment perhaps "crossing the line" and I admit it was sarcastic and a little "out there". However, for us to blindly make choices that will forever alter the lives of ourselves and others, we should not venture into them blindly. Bella must be a bright woman. If she attempted to learn about the damage that occurs with conservatorships prior to her pursuing this avenue, she is not doing it for the right reasons. In probate court, as you may know, the victims can be any one of us, including her. All she would need is a few disgruntled family members and her final days would also be spent being "protected" by this people.