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Hulk's wife wants half

Linda Bollea also seeks alimony and child support for their son.

By RICHARD DANIELSON and RITA FARLOW, Times Staff Writers
Published November 26, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Getty Images] Terry and Linda Bollea were married Dec. 12, 1983, in Los Angeles. Nick Bollea crash: Stories, photos and video

Linda Bollea is seeking an equitable split of assets she owns with husband, Terry Bollea, including two Pinellas County properties that together could fetch an estimated $9.485-million.

In her divorce petition, which was filed Tuesday in Pinellas Pasco Circuit Court, Linda Bollea also proposes that parental responsibility for their minor son, Nick, be shared. She asks that Nick's primary residence be with her, subject to "liberal visitation" with his father.

In addition, Linda Bollea seeks:

- An unspecified amount of alimony and child support.

- That Terry Bollea, also known as Hulk Hogan from his days as a professional wrestler, pay for Nick's health insurance.

- That Terry Bollea take out a life insurance policy to cover child support for Nick, if necessary.

The marital assets that need to be equitably divided include the nearly 17,000-square-foot mansion on Willadel Drive in Belleair where the family lives and a 3,474-square-foot home on Eldorado Avenue on Clearwater Beach.

Together, the properties are assessed for tax purposes at a total of $7.953-million.

But based on comparable sales from 2005-06, the Pinellas County Property Appraiser's Office estimates that the Belleair mansion would sell for $7.247-million and the Eldorado Avenue house would sell for $2.238-million.

Linda Bollea's divorce petition says that neither property is "believed to be subject to any mortgages."

The divorce petition also says the Bolleas are "under contract for a condominium currently being constructed in Las Vegas, Nevada."

If the two sides cannot reach an amicable split of their marital assets, then the properties "should be partitioned and sold," according to the suit.

The Bolleas have had their share of problems this year, since Nick's Aug. 26 car crash in Clearwater.

The 17-year-old was charged with reckless driving with serious bodily injury - a felony. Police said Bollea was racing his Toyota Supra just before the crash that critically injured his friend and passenger, John Graziano. An Iraq war veteran, Graziano suffered severe head injuries, according to court pleadings. One doctor said Graziano, who was recently transferred to the James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa, would likely spend the rest of his life in a nursing home.

George Tragos, the attorney representing John Graziano's mother, Debra Graziano, said he would not expect a pending divorce to affect a possible civil suit.

"It really shouldn't play any role," Tragos said Sunday. "All that will matter is their legal status at the time of the accident."

Attorneys for both of Graziano's parents have said a civil suit against the Bolleas is likely.

Calls to Terry and Linda Bollea were unreturned Sunday.

Contacted by e-mail Friday night, Linda Bollea's attorney, Elliot Jay Goldstein, responded that "as this is a very personal matter for the Bolleas and their children, Mrs. Bollea has understandably requested that no further comment be given."

The Bolleas were married Dec. 12, 1983, in Los Angeles.

Some of the couple's marital problems unfolded during this season of Hogan Knows Best, the 4-year-old VH1 reality show that chronicles the lives of the famous wrestler and his family, including daughter Brooke, 19.

In one recent episode, titled Wedlock Headlock, the couple attends marriage counseling together but seems to be getting back on track by show's end.

But Linda Bollea's divorce petition states that the marriage is "irretrievably broken."

Terry Bollea said Friday night he was caught "off-guard" when he learned of the divorce petition's filing from a St. Petersburg Times reporter.

Terry Bollea said Linda had been in California for the last three weeks.

On Friday, the celebrity news Web site TMZ.com posted photos of Linda and Nick Bollea. The caption says the mom and son were leaving a shopping excursion in Beverly Hills.

[Last modified November 25, 2007, 22:14:26]