(Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)
Honestly, I never expected to hear about Rachel Uchitel ever again, much less have occasion to write about her in a legal industry publication.
Uchitel enjoyed a brief flicker of fame after Tiger Woods was injured in a car crash after his infidelities had come to light. Uchitel was one of more than a dozen identified mistresses that Woods maintained, which was almost as impressive a feat as winning the 1997 Masters by 9 strokes. But after his marriage dissolved and he endured a long-term rehabilitation, Uchitel seemed destined to fade into obscurity.
But, she’s managed to work her way into my consciousness yet again, dammit.
According to the Daily Mail, Uchitel is now with Gibson Dunn partner Ed Batts, who is married and — according to his wife — abandoned his family five days before Christmas to move in with Uchitel.
Kissing passionately, this is Tiger Woods’ former mistress Rachel Uchitel with her new boyfriend – married lawyer Ed Batts, 47, who dumped his wife and her three children five days before Christmas to be with the former nightclub hostess.
His wife is understandably distraught, and told the Daily Mail that Batts blindsided her by taking steps to prepare for this moment in secret:
In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, Batts’ devastated wife Robyn, 59, claims he began an affair with Uchitel at the end of November after meeting her online and walked out less than a month later – leaving her heartbroken.
Batts had kept his plan to leave secret – shipping his Porsche to Florida days before his departure, with Robyn claiming he told her it was at the dealership to be repaired.
Court filings seen by DailyMail.com show Batts filed for divorce on December 17.
But Uchitel told Page Six that Batts was already separated from his wife.
“Robyn is publicly humiliating her estranged husband, whom she has been separated from for quite awhile, by using me as a target.” She added, “It’s sad that the media has yet again taken a story out of context and are trying to paint me as a mistress, when that is not the case.
Separation is a tricky liminal state. It’s also exactly the status a married man would claim while building a relationship with someone already burned by being labeled someone’s mistress. Whatever is going on, I’ve been forced to expend mental energy on Rachel Uchitel again and 2021 is off to a wretched start.
EXCLUSIVE: Tiger Woods’ infamous mistress Rachel Uchitel is caught on camera kissing married lawyer on romantic getaway days before he dumped his wife and kids, closed bank account and moved to Palm Beach to be with her [Daily Mail]
Rachel Uchitel says she’s ‘target’ of new beau’s wife [Page Six]
Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.