Bethenny Frankel's Divorce Case Takes 'Anonymous' Turn

By Brett Snider, Esq. on May 01, 2013 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Former "Real Housewife" Bethenny Frankel is stealthily becoming a real divorcee, as she has filed to continue her New York divorce case under the name "Anonymous."

Frankel and her putative ex-husband Jason Hoppy seem set on keeping their ongoing divorce out of the public eye. They apparently asked the New York court system to refile their case anonymously, reports E! Online.

Although Frankel's star may be on the decline, is it just that easy for celebrities to get their names kept secret in court?

Anonymous Captions

Not really. In order to get listed as "Anonymous" in a court case, Bethenny Frankel -- or any other person in New York state -- first needs to petition the court for the name change on court documents.

In New York's court system, it's called getting an "anonymous caption" for your case.

This means the SkinnyGirl founder and her soon-to-be ex-husband somehow proved to the court at a hearing that the couple's case should be sealed in order to protect their welfare and possibly their child's.

Rich Wife, Poor Husband

The couple may have good reason to keep their case under wraps, as they disagree on key details of child custody, child support and alimony, reports TMZ. Many of the other factors in their divorce have been wrapped up nicely by the Frankel and Hoppy's signing of a prenuptial agreement.

Frankel is one of a growing number of women who are finding that they may owe their ex-husbands alimony and child support for being the primary breadwinner.

Many explain this trend by pointing to the growing number of fathers becoming the primary caregiver for their kids, while more mothers spend less time at home and more time at the office.

Frankel Divorce Not Exactly Private

Despite Bethenny's success in getting her divorce case refiled, the case number for "Anonymous v. Anonymous" is still publically searchable, and those who really care to know will be able to find information about their case pretty easily.

Case in point: E! Online reported on the couple's most recent hearing on April 19, and will likely also cover their next hearing, set for June 20.

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