Arnold Schwarzenegger & Maria Shriver Agree To Settle Longtime Divorce In Private

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver have agreed to settle their decade-long divorce case in private, and out of the public court system.

According to new legal documents, obtained by The Blast, Arnold and Maria signed a stipulation agreeing to remove their ongoing divorce from the Los Angeles County Courthouse and have it handled by a private judge. It appears the judge in their case agreed and ordered it.

"Stipulation and Order for Appointment of Private Judge," the court records state. It's possible the ex-couple hasn't decided on exactly who will handle the case.

As we reported, the famous former couple recently filed a declaration of disclosure in their case, indicating they are finally close to settling the divorce. Shockingly, the case is over a decade old, with Maria filing for divorce back on July 1, 2011 -- after she learned of the 'Terminator' star having fathered a child with the couple's housekeeper, Mildred Baena.

Up until this year, nothing had been filed in the divorce case in over four years. But, the agreement to work with a private judge indicates the couple is again close to settling their divorce. It should be noted, many A-list celebrities choose to work with a private judge on their divorce cases, to remove the information from the public record. In other words, if a divorce is battled in the actual courthouse, the details are available to the public and the media.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are amongst many celebrities who have chosen to go that route. Although, their case didn't exactly work as expected.

As we reported, the marriage of Arnold and Maria -- along with their divorce -- has been the subject of speculation over the years. On one hand, reports surfaced that the former California governor showed no interest in formally ending the marriage. The couple has been split up for over 10 years, but other reports suggested that Maria was the one who waffled on the subject and decided to stay legally married to Schwarzenegger.

The stakes are high in this divorce, with a reported estate of over $400 million on the line in the settlement. Why haven't they hammered it out...you ask? Well, with that type of money, the only thing that really matters is that it is divided fairly. Plus, when you are this wealthy, neither side is hurting for access to the cash.

Not surprisingly, the couple didn't have a prenuptial agreement when they were married back in 1986. It's important, because according to California law, regardless of the amount of wealth accumulated by the couple -- it will be split 50/50.

At this point, it's unclear what is pushing the former couple to begin settlement negotiations again. It's possible the situation just isn't top of mind, and they are too busy being new grandparents!