What do Billy Ray, Tish Cyrus have at stake with their third divorce filing? Legal expert weighs in

Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish Cyrus are once again splitting after the mother of Miley Cyrus filed to divorce the musician and actor. This marks the third time in their more than 20 years of marriage that the duo, who reportedly have no prenuptial agreement, have inched towards divorce – so just how much is at stake now? With multiple homes and high net worths, Fox News Digital spoke to a legal expert who weighed in on the estranged couple’s latest filing.  

In the recent filing, obtained by Fox News Digital, Tish, 54, did not request any spousal support or attorney’s fees – otherwise referred to as costs of the cause – which according to David Glass, a certified family law attorney and partner with Enenstein Law, likely means that she has enough access to cash that she doesn’t feel the need for Billy Ray to pony up any of his own.

“The parties have not resided together for over two years … since just before the pandemic in February 2020,” Glass told Fox News Digital, adding that it is uncommon to live separately for such a duration before filing for dissolution.

Tish Cyrus – real name Leticia – married Billy Ray Cyrus in 1993. In addition to pop star Miley Cyrus, Tish shares daughter Noah Cyrus, 22, with Billy Ray. She also has two other children: Trace Cyrus, 33, and Brandi Cyrus, 34, from a previous marriage with her first husband, Baxter Helson.

“The parties were living in LA at that time, but it appears that Billy Ray moved back to Tennessee,” Glass added, while “Tish remains here in LA because her filing was notarized here.”

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Furthermore, in regard to the couple’s combined assets, given the fact that Billy Ray has a longstanding career as a country music artist and songwriter, the crooner’s net worth is $20 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

In addition to a career as a musician, Billy Ray has also earned a paycheck from his role as Robby Ray in “Hannah Montana.” 

Meanwhile, Tish’s net worth – combined with her estranged husband’s – also hovers around $20 million through her gigs as an executive producer and Miley’s manager but also by way of her own reality show, “Truly Tish,” which ran from 2013 to 2014.

Tish and Miley were also guest judges during a season one episode of the reality show “Styled to Rock” back in 2013.

CAN THEY ‘SUPPORT THEIR OWN LIFESTYLES?’

According to Glass, “There was no request for spousal support – which indicates that there are enough assets to divide and produce investment income and/or each of the parties continues to earn enough, separately, to support their own lifestyles.”

“Because there are no minor children, the most often argued issues of child custody and child support won’t be part of this divorce,” he added. “And by not asking for spousal support, that takes another contentious issue out of play.”

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“There was no request for spousal support – which indicates that there are enough assets to divide and produce investment income and/or each of the parties continues to earn enough, separately, to support their own lifestyles.”

— Attorney David Glass

Glass maintained that strategy likely played a factor in the state in which Tish ultimately filed her paperwork, noting that some states make divorce filings public record while others often do not. California makes divorce filings public unless they are sealed.

Also, with both parties still being active in the business, their conversation surrounding the division of property seems to have the potential to be an open-and-shut discussion. 

LA PLACE VS. NASHVILLE ABODE

It’s unclear when Tish and Billy Ray purchased their 1,200-square-foot 1940s Nashville home, but according to Tish, it underwent a full renovation and now sits at 3,000 square feet and five bedrooms. Miley even has her own guesthouse, Tish told Architectural Digest in 2017. 

As for their Tinseltown home? Tish also had her hand in decorating the 4000-square-foot Spanish-style place. The four-bedroom, four-bath home was originally built in the 1930’s and went through an entire makeover as well including a renovation of the kitchen, Tish shared in 2021.

Tish filed a restraining order for their marital property, meaning neither party can transfer or conceal any of their assets.

“Tennessee is an ‘equitable distribution’ state, meaning that it is not community property, so there is no presumption that the assets accumulated during the marriage should be split on a 50/50 basis,” said Glass. “The court can do 70/30 or 60/40, or whatever it wants.”

Glass pressed that this stage in the Cyrus divorce appears to be “the simplest of issues to resolve,” especially considering the pair have filed to split two previous times likely making the third time the proverbial charm.

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TRYING TO ‘AVOID’ LITIGATION? 

According to Glass, “The fact that this is the third time that one or the other has filed for divorce indicates that they’ve been through the “litigation thing” before and want to avoid it.”

“Ideally, Billy Ray and Tish will have their lawyers look over their combined balance sheet and figure out which assets each will keep – as a way to avoid having the divide each asset and/or sell assets to divide the proceeds,” he added.

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MIGHT BE RESOLVED ‘QUICKLY’ WITH ‘NO COURT APPEARANCES’

While Miley and Noah Cyrus have yet to comment publicly on their parents’ split, Glass is of the belief that the couple will likely wrap up their divorce rather quickly.

“This is certainly a case where they should be able to resolve things very quickly and with no court appearances,” he said. “They should be able to reach an agreement, put it in writing, and never have to show up at the Courthouse.”

The couple shared a joint statement with People magazine, which reads, “It is after 30 years, five amazing children and a lifetime of memories, we have decided to go our separate ways — not with sadness, but with love in our hearts,” the outlet reported.

“We have grown up together, raised a family we can be so proud of, and it is now time to create our own paths.”

“We will always be family and look forward to a continued and loving shared experience as friends and parents. We have not come to this decision lightly or quickly but with so much going on in the world, we wanted to provide some clarity and closure, so we can remain focused on what is important,” the statement reads. “With Love and Hope… Tish and Billy Ray Cyrus.”

Tish filed for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences,” on April 6 in Williamson County, Tennessee, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.

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Representatives for the couple had no comment when reached by Fox News Digital.

Fox News’ Janelle Ash contributed to this report.