MIAMI — A South Florida judge has ordered the ex-wife of Phil Collins to end the "scandalous" allegations about the "In the Air Tonight" singer's personal hygiene and sexual performance or risk having her claim to half of his Miami Beach mansion tossed.
Collins and ex-wife have been engaged in a bitter court battle since October, when attorneys for the former Genesis frontman filed a lawsuit claiming Orianne Cevey Collins Mejjati Bates and her new husband, Thomas Bates, "have refused to vacate" the property at 5800 N. Bay Road and commandeered the house "through a show of force."
Attorneys for Orianne Bates countersued, claiming she and her new husband are entitled to half of the property, which is currently on the market for an asking price of $40 million.
Miami-Dade County Judge Spencer Eig dismissed her counterclaim on Dec. 8 and ruled that if she "files a pleading with allegations similar to the ones stricken by this order, the court has put her on notice that her pleading may be dismissed with prejudice."
The order was in response to a Nov. 9 court filing that included references to several popular Collins songs.
Among the claims Miami-based attorney Richard C. Wolfe alleged was that Collins' "vocal ability and capacity to perform diminished over time."
The filing also alleged that, in 2017, Collins "developed a drinking problem" that escalated "to the point that Orianne had to pick him up off the floor."
"By 2019, Philip had lost his talents," the filing alleged. "He became increasingly depressed, withdrawn, abusive and following an operation on his back, increasingly addicted to anti-depressants and pain killers."
It went on to say that Collins "was incapable of having sex."
"He stopped showering, brushing his teeth and dressing properly (in fact, he did not shower or brush his teeth from 2019 until August 2020 when he vacated the property)," the document said.
Collins' "stench became so pervasive that he became a hermit" and his relationship with Orianne Bates deteriorated, the document alleged.
Eventually, the Bateses contend in the filing, Collins withdrew from society and retreated to Switzerland.
The allegations followed a previous court document alleging that Collins placed hidden cameras in the home, including Orianne Bates' "personal bathroom and dressing room," and that footage to determine how the family dog drowned in the swimming pool "had been erased or was missing."
A limited settlement agreement was later reached, allowing the Bateses to continue to live at the home until January.
Eig also ruled last week that Orianne Bates must be deposed before the agreed upon move-out date.
