90 DAY FIANCE Mark Shoemaker files for divorce from Nikki, motion to seal denied

Controversial 90 Day Fiance couple Mark Shoemaker and Nikki Rose Mediano Shoemaker are headed for divorce.

According to court records, Mark filed for divorce in Maryland on March 2. In addition to the divorce filing, Mark also filed a motion to seal. I assume this is an attempt to seal the proceedings from the public. That motion was denied the following day.

Mark’s address in the filing is for the house featured on 90 Day Fiance. Nikki’s address is the same, so it doesn’t appear that she had moved out at the time of the filing.

There was a summons issued on March 3 that has not been served yet. The case is still open, but there is not an upcoming court date scheduled.

Court records indicate that Mark included his prenuptial agreement with Nikki in the initial divorce filing. That prenup will certainly be familiar to 90 Day Fiance fans. From our first post about Mark and Nikki during their season:

If you’ve watched any of the episodes from 90 Day Fiance Season 3, or if you’ve seen the trailer video, then you are familiar with 19-year-old Nikki, who is traveling from the Philippines to the United States in hopes of marrying her 58-year-old fiance Mark. On the most recent episode, Mark presents Nikki with what is apparently a very one-sided prenup, but he defends the agreement by telling Nikki that any money she makes while in the United States she will get to keep. He even tosses out the possibility of her winning America’s Top Model as an example.

Mark and Nikki completely vanished from social media, and there have been almost no updates on either of them over the past six years. Part of their motivation to leave social media and avoid the media is because of the negative backlash Mark received after his appearance on 90 Day Fiance.

Mark was so unhappy with how he was portrayed on screen that he filed a lawsuit against TLC’s parent company (Discovery) and show producers, Sharp Entertainment. In his lawsuit, Mark cited nine causes of action: fraudulent inducement, fraud, breach of contract, breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, gross negligence, defamation per se, defamation libel, intentional infliction of emotional distress and unjust enrichment.

The defendants in the case responded with a motion to dismiss as they argued that Mark and Nikki signed contracts to be on the show which allowed producers to edit the footage however they wanted. The judge agreed with the defendants and tossed the case in March of 2017.

From the judge’s ruling:

Based on the documentary evidence presented, including the agreements and releases provided, Plaintiffs clearly waived their right to bring this action and are precluded from doing so. Plaintiffs expressly consented to permitting Defendants to retain broad discretion to edit, alter the contents of the footage and fictionalize it, even if such alterations resulted in Plaintiffs being depicted in an embarrassing, humiliating and denigrating manner. As discussed by Defendants, courts have consistently upheld such releases and agreements in similar circumstances. As such, the court determines that Plaintiffs knowingly and voluntarily entered into the agreements and they are precluded from bringing this action. As such, Plaintiffs’ amended complaint is dismissed.

Finally, the court finds Plaintiffs’ remaining arguments to be without merit, finds that Plaintiffs are precluded from seeking injunctive relief and the court hereby denies the additional relief requested. Therefore, the court grants Defendants’ motion to dismiss and dismisses Plaintiffs’ complaint against Defendants with prejudice.

Our joke quote image created to help promote the TLC spin-off series 90 Day Fiance: Self-Quarantined:

It’s unclear if the divorce filing will motivate Nikki to return to social media. I am sure there are numerous media outlets willing to offer her money for an interview! We will continue to monitor the divorce case and will share any major updates.

UPDATE – Mark’s daughter, Elise Shoemaker, shared her reactions to the divorce news with a couple of TikTok videos. In the first clip, she sarcastically expresse4s her shock. In the second slip, Elise absolutely demolishes those criticizing her for not showing support for her dad by sharing some horrendous memories of how Mark treated her growing up.

@ms.shoemaker Reply to @cmskay #90dayfiance ♬ original sound – Elise Shoemaker🌸

@ms.shoemaker Reply to @scotlady_ no hate, but stop. #90dayfiance #90df ♬ Dominique – Singing Nun

The earliest source I could find for the Mark and Nikki divorce story is reddit. It may have been posted somewhere else first.

#90DayFiance Remember 58-year-old Mark and his 18-year-old Filipino bride Nikki? Are they still together? And whatever happened with their lawsuit against TLC for how bad they looked on the show? We've got a few answers: https://t.co/uSIvujnj6C

— Starcasm (@starcasm) December 2, 2017

Asa Hawks is a writer and editor for Starcasm. You can contact Asa via Twitter, Facebook, or email at starcasmtips(at)yahoo.com