A confidential meeting between actor Ioan Gruffudd, his former wife Alice Evans, and their legal teams has ended without agreement, prolonging their acrimonious divorce battle over money and their children.
Secret Talks Yield No Breakthrough
On Thursday, the former couple attended a mandatory settlement conference at a Santa Monica court, a last-ditch attempt to avoid a costly trial. The media was barred from the more than two-hour session. However, Gruffudd's attorney, Joseph Langlois, confirmed to the Daily Mail that "nothing was settled today."
Langlois struck a more hopeful note for the future, stating, "We are still working on it, and we expect to settle, maybe in the next week or two." Both parties must return to court on December 19 to report to Judge Michael Convey on any progress. If no deal is reached, a nine-day trial is scheduled to begin on February 23, 2025.
Clashing Financial Claims and Legal Demands
The core disputes remain fiercely contested. Evans, 57, is petitioning the LA Superior Court to order Gruffudd to pay more than the $1,500 monthly spousal support he currently provides. She claims financial destitution, alleging she was evicted from her Los Angeles home after failing to pay the $6,500 monthly rent and has had to borrow money from friends and use a GoFundMe page.
Gruffudd, 52, is fighting back. He seeks to terminate all spousal support and wants an extension of a domestic abuse restraining order against Evans until March 6, 2026. He accuses her of "stalking" him and trashing him and his new wife, Bianca Wallace, online. Wallace gave birth to their daughter, Mila, on November 2.
In court filings, Gruffudd alleges Evans "purposely got herself evicted" to support a false narrative of poverty. He claims subpoenaed bank records show she earned more than $130,000 in 2024 and will likely make a similar sum this year—a claim Evans labels "false and misleading."
Allegations of Parental Alienation and Online Harassment
The conflict has deeply involved their two daughters, Ella, 16, and Elsie, 12. Gruffudd stated he was "mortified" to receive messages from the children parroting Evans's claims of impending homelessness. He implied Evans manipulated them, an allegation she vehemently denies.
Regarding the restraining order, Evans calls it an attempt "to muzzle me and violate my First Amendment rights." She denies stalking, saying, "I have no idea where he and his wife live... This is plainly ridiculous." The original order was granted in August 2022 after Gruffudd detailed a "smear campaign" of messages and social media posts.
The pair met over 20 years ago on the set of 102 Dalmatians, married in 2007, and Gruffudd filed for divorce in March 2021 after Evans announced their split on social media. Their divorce was finalised in July 2023, but the legal and personal warfare shows no immediate sign of ending.
