A Look At Tom Hanks And Rita Wilson's Past Legal Troubles

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have addressed a couple of pressing legal matters over the years. Hanks and Wilson have been married for more than 35 years. In honor of making it to the coral anniversary, Wilson shared a photo of her and Hanks in an Instagram post. "35 years of marriage. April 30 1988. Love is everything," Wilson captioned the post.

Interestingly, Hanks didn't make a special Instagram post for their 35th anniversary. But he's never gone too long without reminding the world of how highly he thinks of Wilson. Recently, Hanks promoted Wilson's musical career to his 9.5 million followers on Instagram. "New single from the fabulous Rita Wilson," wrote Hanks. "Let's declare this LITTLE BLACK DRESS DAY. Love this track, love this artist. Hanx." Of course, social media has never been the most accurate indicator of a couple's longevity, but it's clear that the love flowing between Hanks and Wilson is super special. That said, even Hanks and Wilson have had their issues. Let's take a look at Hanks' and Wilson's past legal problems.

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were once involved in an expensive legal fight with their contractors. In 2001, the power couple enlisted Storey Construction's services to build their dream home, according to TMZ. However, Wilson and Hanks withheld payment because they were unsatisfied with the work. Two years later, Storey Construction sued Wilson and Hanks for the unpaid tab only to be presented with a counter-suit, which amounted to $800,000. They lost that round of litigation, then sued the company for $2.5 million in 2007. 

However, as reported by The San Diego Union-Tribune, Storey Construction fought to stop this lawsuit, leaving Wilson and Hanks to seek (and gain) permission from the Idaho Supreme Court. "We believe the Supreme Court's decision will have an impact far beyond our case, helping homeowners who have been wronged in ways that remain hidden long after their home has been built," said the spouses. Unfortunately, as Today reported in 2011, Hanks and Wilson weren't victorious. "It's shocking and disgusting that Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson would treat anyone the way they treated [owner] Gary Storey," said Storey's legal representative. "The emotional and financial damage they have done to Gary Storey and his family is incalculable. Hanks and Wilson didn't just lose the case, they were disgraced."

Compared to some celebrity legal battles, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson's definitely seemed like small potatoes — at least from an outsider's perspective. However, their son Chet Hanks has been in way worse trouble. Once, he even dragged Hanks and Wilson into the mix. In 2015, Chet was involved in a car accident that spawned a lawsuit the following year, per The Wrap. Except the driver, Terry Moogan didn't just sue Chet, he also sued his parents, who reportedly allowed Chet to drive their car. 

"Chester Hanks was driving his vehicle in an unreasonable and unsafe manner and was under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol at the time his vehicle struck Mr. Moogan's vehicle," read the lawsuit (via The Wrap). "Despite knowing that Chester Hanks was a careless and reckless driver and a habitual user of drugs and alcohol, they negligently permitted Chester Hanks to operate their vehicle and thus, in addition to Chester Hanks, are responsible for the physical and emotional injuries Mr. Moogan sustained as the result of the accident."

According to Radar Online, the involved parties reached a settlement in 2018.