The Legal Battle
The couple announced that they were separating in March 2000, then filed for divorce on November 6, 2000, citing irreconcilable differences at Davidson County Circuit Court, Tennessee. When the divorce was finalized on December 17, 2001, Sandy Mahl received $125 million as a divorce settlement, one of the most expensive in country music history. As for Garth Brooks’ daughters, the couple got joint custody though the children have spent more time with their dad.
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood’s marriage followed in 2005. On the other hand, Mahl never remarried and chose to become a businesswoman. She co-founded the Heart Ranch, an animal rehabilitation and wildlife rescuing organization in Rogers County, Oklahoma. And despite their messy divorce, the couple are on good terms now and have managed to co-parent their three daughters really well.
Garth Brooks’ divorce may have saddened many fans, but it definitely showed that love is not all butterflies and rainbows. And that letting go can be the hardest thing in love, but it can also be the best thing that anyone could ever do for their loved one.