What The Heart Wants

A Call To Judgment (Part IV)

The trial of Philadelphia Hearts v. Orlandini resumed on Thursday morning with the defense beginning its presentation. Up first for them was Servando Carrasco, the estranged husband of Alex Morgan.

David Jay Glassman: Please tell the court your connection to this case.

Servando Carrasco: My wife, Alex Morgan, began a relationship with Ashlyn Harris shortly after Ali Krieger left Orlando for Philadelphia. Ali and Ashlyn were a couple in Orlando and for several years before that.

David Jay: So the initial claims made by my client concerning Ms. Krieger and Ms. Harris' relationship and the ending thereof were for the most part true?

Servando: By and large, yes. Alex and Ashlyn had been together at national team camp for a majority of the time between October 15th and November 13th, which coincided with the period where Ali and Ashlyn had begun to separate emotionally from each other.

Brian: Objection. The witness cannot know the internal dimension of my client and her presumed former partner's relationship.

Judge Massiah-Jackson: Objection granted.

David Jay: Let's move on to your impending divorce from Ms. Morgan. Explain what has happened as best you can.

Servando: I was in California visiting my family when she returned to Florida following the two friendlies against Canada. I was supposed to fly back to Orlando on Friday the 17th, but was asked by a reporter on Wednesday afternoon what my reaction was to Alex's filing for separation. I was completely blindsided by that and told him that I'd have a statement once I learned what had happened. I contacted Alex and was told by her that she was done "propping up [my] semi-skilled [backside]". I asked her why she hadn't just gone for a divorce instead of separation and she informed me that the separation would allow the economic partnership between us to be immediately cut, as she was pondering a loan to a team in Europe for the first part of 2018, like we had done last winter.

David Jay: So it was about denying you a cut of her potential salary should the divorce proceedings stretch out beyond her loan period then, correct?

Servando: It seems so.

David Jay: Continue.

Servando: I heard from Dom Dwyer that Alex and Ashlyn had gone up to Kansas City to get away from Orlando during College Cup week and had stayed at his place. When they returned home, Alex had begun negotiating with Dom and his wife about exchanging houses if she were able to secure a trade to the Blues, since it was common knowledge that Syd was working to end up with the Pride so that she and Dom could play for the same organization again and raise their son together. Those pieces fell into place during Convention Week here and she filed for divorce in Kansas a few days afterwards.

David Jay: You're expected to make a pretty penny from the settlement, isn't that correct?

Servando: If it were filed in California or Florida, yes. In Kansas, however, the court takes into account who makes the money and whether either party is in a position to be economically dependent on the higher-earning spouse. In our case, since I am making above $150k, I am not eligible to receive maintenance payments or a lump-sum settlement that takes into account our time together and what an equitable division of our assets would be.

David Jay: Hence, she chose to separate first and divorce after relocating specifically to cut you out from the income that you felt would be rightfully yours given that your relationship started before Alex Morgan became Alex Morgan?