Sitting high atop Eddie Murphy's long list of lifelong regrets, above even The Adventures of Pluto Nash and Showtime, must be that fateful night in 1997 when he fell victim to his own bleeding heart and whisked a weepy transexual street walker off the mean streets of West Hollywood, only to be stopped by cops and questioned about what s/he was doing in his car. ("Taking a load off, officers!" we imagine him saying, before launching into his trademark wheeze-laugh.) Nine years later, he's still living his good deed down, and thanks to his recent divorce to Nicole Mitchell, the whole affair is about to bubble back up to the surface:

Last August, Nicole Mitchell, Murphy's wife of 13 years, filed for divorce citing "irreconcilable differences." Our source says Mitchell, who's now being represented by Christian Slater's divorce attorney Glenn Buzard, is considering arguing that Murphy breached their prenup agreement.

If she fights the prenup, the reason may indirectly relate to the 1997 incident in which West Hollywood police questioned Murphy for driving in his car with a transvestite prostitute. The scandal, which involved a Samoan streetwalker named Atisone Suiuli, prompted several other cross-dressing hookers to sell stories to the tabloids about their alleged meetings with the actor. Murphy has denied any solicitation for sex occurred. [...]

"In less than 10 days," [alleged Murphy-hired P.I.] Barresi says, "I got them all to sign sworn, videotaped depositions, stating it wasn't Murphy himself, but rather a look-alike, who they'd encountered - with the exception of Suiuli." In 1998, she fell to her death from her L.A. roof.

Interesting that Mitchell chose to cite "irreconcilable differences," over the hotter and in this case, more applicable "fraud" terminology term currently sweeping celebrity divorce proceedings. But regardless of how she words it, proving her case against someone who wields as much influence and money as Eddie could prove to be quite a challenge for the ex-Mrs. Murphy, no matter what the facts suggest. Should she choose that battle, prepare for more ugliness to come, including a long term forecast of raining trannie hookers.

• SCANDAL HAUNTS MURPHY SPLIT [NY Post]
• Eddie Murphy Timeline [Rotten.com]