Phil Collins' ex-wife and her new husband have been ordered by a Florida judge to vacate the singer's home in Miami Beach, Florida, according to a lawyer for the musician.
In October, the 69-year-old singer and drummer filed a motion for a temporary injunction in Miami-Dade County against County against Orianne Cevey Collins Mejjati Bates, whom he was married to from 1999 to 2006, and Thomas Bates, who married his ex-wife in August.
According to court documents obtained by TODAY, Collins alleged that the Bateses "seized control" of Collins' property, which is worth approximately $40 million and contains "a collection of irreplaceable music memorabilia and other valuables." Collins' lawsuit also alleged that Orianne Bates hired three to four heavily armed guards that "refuse to leave the property."
Jeffrey Fisher, a lawyer for Collins, told TODAY on Sunday that Bates has been ordered to vacate the home by mid-January.
“Mr. and Mrs. Bates’ plan to hold Phil Collins’ house as hostage to leverage a settlement during a protracted court case was upended by the new judge’s bold decision to complete the injunction hearing next week," Fisher told TODAY.
"With the delay tactic failing, they agreed to vacate by mid-January and to allow Phil’s realtor to market and sell the property between now and the date they leave."
Fisher also confirmed that Collins’ priceless collections, including his music memorabilia and Alamo artifacts, will be retrieved from the home in a few days. However, Bates' lawsuit claiming a 50 percent interest in the Miami estate will continue.
Fisher's statement concluded, "We have no doubt that it too will come to a quick and conclusive end once the judge hears the true facts about what occurred."
TODAY has reached out to a lawyer for Bates for comment.
Bates, 46, first met the Genesis frontman in 1994. When they married five years later, she became his third wife. They share two children, sons Nicholas and Matthew, who, according to the lawsuit, are now 19 and nearly 16 respectively.