Extortion Claims Against Faye Grant

In the wake of the stunning child-molestation confession of 7th Heaven star Stephen Collins, a lawyer for the actor is more than hinting that his estranged wife, Faye Grant, has been trying to extort Collins throughout their divorce proceedings. ( A typical ploy to draw attention away from the real culprit.)

"Over the course of my representation of Stephen in the divorce case, Faye has repeatedly threatened to give this audiotape to the media unless Stephen agreed to pay her millions of dollars more than that to which she was legally entitled," attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan reportedly said in a statement to TMZ.
Kaplan continued: "When these demands were rebuffed, Faye attempted — without success — to peddle the tape to numerous different people. It appears that she finally found an audience for this tape — not surprisingly, on the eve of the trial in the divorce case where, again, she is seeking millions of dollars more than that to which she is legally entitled."

However, Grant and her attorney have come out swinging against the extortion claims. On Wednesday, Faye's attorney Larry A. Ginsberg, issued the following statement:
"The statement that my client attempted to extort Mr. Stephen Collins with an audiotape is fabricated and defamatory, and could not be farther from the truth.  In fact, Faye turned over the recording to the LAPD and NYPD two years ago after Mr. Collins refused to address and get help with regard to his reprehensible conduct.
"It is offensive and outrageous that Mr. Collins' lawyer is now attempting to deflect focus away from the disturbing content of the recording and away from Mr. Collins' admissions by attacking the victims, including Faye, who Mr.Collins' lawyer is attempting to portray as the 'villain' in this tragic situation.
"Faye never asked to receive more than the 50 percent of the community property to which she is entitled under California law. Faye never asked for more than the 'guideline' amount of spousal support based on Mr. Collins' income. From the very beginning of the dissolution of marriage matter, Faye has worked diligently to get this matter settled and to put it behind her while coping with the distress and trauma suffered as a result of the revelations about Mr. Collins' life. Faye requested that Mr. Collins create a trust fund for their daughter, and further requested that he make a contribution to a charitable organization benefitting sexually abused children. To falsely characterize these requests as extortion threats is reckless and constitutes yet further abuse.
"Contrary to the efforts by Mr. Collins’ lawyer to infer that my client tried to extort a settlement from Mr. Collins with the recording, neither my client nor any of her representatives ever made the recording part of the family law proceedings. As stated previously, neither Faye nor any of her representatives had any part in providing the audio tape or any part thereof to the media."
Grant also denied the allegations that she is after their estimated $14 million in assets.
"This is a deeply sad situation for everyone involved. With regard to the divorce proceedings, I am seeking no more than that to which I am legally entitled under the laws of the State of California," she stated. "The recording of Mr. Collins’ statements has not been part of family court proceedings or any negotiations related to that action at any time."
On Tuesday, TMZ posted an audio recording taken during a therapy session purportedly between Collins, 67, and Grant, 57, from 2012 in which the actor appears to admit to sexual misconduct with at least three girls under the age of 14. The comments match court documents submitted in the couple's divorce filing.
Faye first filed for divorce from Collins, who played the Rev. Eric Camden on the beloved show, in May 2012 (the recording was supposedly taped after this).
Meanwhile, Grant has denied that she had anything to do with the leaking of the tape. "I woke up today to learn that an extremely private recording I handed over to the authorities in 2012 per their request in connection with a criminal investigation was recently disseminated to the press," she said in a statement. "I had no involvement whatsoever with the release of the tape to the media."
Both the LAPD and NYPD are reviewing the taped confessions but no charges have been filed.
While Collins has yet to address the situation — a lawyer for the actor told TMZ, "The circumstances dictate that we must regrettably refrain from [commenting] at this time" — the fallout in Hollywood has been swift.
Collins will be dropped from an upcoming episode of Scandal, a rep for ABC confirmed on Wednesday. This comes one day after he got the boot from Ted 2 and resigned from the national board of the SAG-AFTRA actors' union. Multiple networks have also pulled reruns of 7th Heaven.
While the majority of Stephen's co-stars have remained mum on the controversy, a few have spoken out.
Catherine Hicks, who played Collins's on-screen wife from 1996 to 2007, says she "didn't know anything," adding, "Stephen's a good guy in my opinion."
Kyle Searles, who had a recurring role on the show for three years as Mac, confessed he "was a little shocked" to hear the news. "That wasn't who I remembered at all, not in the least bit," he told TMZ.
"I never once had any type of encounter where he was maybe a little inappropriate, nobody in the cast had ever come to me, nor was it ever an issue," he continued. "Stephen was somebody that I looked up to. If you ask anybody that knows me pretty well and has asked about my experiences in Los Angeles and acting, Stephen was by far the most likable, influential, genuine person that I ever had the pleasure of working with.”