A new chapter has opened in the long-running split between Kimora Lee and her estranged husband, Tim Leissner — and it’s already drawing attention.
Leissner has officially filed for divorce after 12 years of marriage, according to court documents submitted in Los Angeles Superior Court on February 4, and obtained by Us Weekly. He cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split and is seeking spousal support from Lee while also requesting that she be blocked from receiving financial support from him. The filing further asks that she cover his legal fees.
The move formalizes a separation that had reportedly been in place since at least 2022. The couple shares one child together, Wolfe Lee Leissner, while Kimora Lee remains the primary parent to her broader family, which includes children from previous relationships.
The filing arrives at a moment when Kimora Lee has been publicly reshaping her identity and business focus. She recently confirmed she is now going by Kimora Lee, dropping “Simmons” as part of a shift centered on “clarity and ownership.”
In a statement, she emphasized that her focus is on “protecting her family, building a legacy, and moving forward with grace and power,” while also pushing back against what she described as “dishonest attempts to bully and extort her out of what has always been rightfully hers.”
Leissner’s legal move also lands against the backdrop of his own high-profile legal history. The former Goldman Sachs executive pleaded guilty in 2018 to charges tied to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, one of the largest financial fraud cases in recent memory.
As part of his plea, he admitted to facilitating the misappropriation of billions of dollars and agreed to forfeit tens of millions of dollars in assets. He began serving a two-year federal prison sentence earlier this year.
The couple’s relationship has been linked to that broader narrative before. Leissner testified in 2022 that he used stolen funds to purchase a $25 million Beverly Hills property, which later became the subject of a prolonged legal dispute. That case — centered on ownership and a contested sale of the home — remains ongoing, though it is separate from the divorce proceedings.
Kimora Lee and Leissner first became publicly linked in 2012 following her split from actor Djimon Hounsou. They married in 2014, with her former husband, Russell Simmons, confirming the union.
