Mary Kate Olsen’s emergency divorce bid rejected by New York judge as application deemed ‘non-essential’

Olsen initially filed for divorce in April

A New York judge has rejected Mary-Kate Olsen's bid for an emergency divorce from husband Pierre Olivier Sarkozy, ruling that the application was "not an essential matter", according to PA.

Ms Olsen, a fashion designer and former actress, first filed for divorce from her 50-year-old husband and financier, who is the half brother of former French premier Nicolas Sarkozy, in April.

Olsen, who shot to fame in the US sitcom Full House alongside her twin sister Ashley, 33, claimed that Mr Sarkozy, her husband of five years, had been attempting to force her out of their marital home.

Court proceedings have fallen into difficulty due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, with some cases being heard via video link. Many districts have been operating skeletons services in a bid to help stop the spread of the virus.

As a result, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Michael Katz deemed Olsen's application to be non-essential, adding that courts will only accept "emergency" matters for filing during the ongoing pandemic.

Announcing the ruling, Lucian Chalfen, a New York Supreme Court spokesman, said: "Currently, we are only accepting essential/emergency matters for filing. The original filing was rejected by the New York County Clerk because they did not follow the essential matter procedure.

"They refiled under the essential matter procedure and the matter was referred to the ex-parte judge, a New York State Supreme Court judge. He determined that it is not an essential matter, so they can't file anything at this point."

Olsen made an emergency application to New York state to protect her property after reports that Sarkozy's lawyers served notice on their apartment without letting her know. It is understood that Olsen was told to leave the property by 18 May but was unable to do so because of travel restrictions, according to reports.

Olsen and Sarkozy have been married for five years after meeting at a party in New York in 2012.

The couple tends to stay out of the public eye and have no children, although Sarkozy has two children with his former wife Charrlotte Benard, a French fashion designer and author who he divorced in 2011.