THE MOST EXPENSIVE DIVORCE SETTLEMENTS OF ALL TIME
The world’s richest man, Jeff Bezos, and his wife MacKenzie are the latest power couple to call it quits. The Amazon founder and his spouse recently announced they are parting ways after 25 years of marriage. The couple, who wed one year before the founding of the now giant retail company, reportedly do not have a prenuptial agreement.
Bezos is worth an estimated $136 billion and is the world’s richest person, according to Forbes. His home state of Washington is one of the few remaining so-called “community property” states, where marital assets generally are divided equally, so his divorce settlement with his soon-to-be-ex promises to be one of the largest in history.
Here’s a look at some of the most expensive divorce settlements of all time:
BOB JOHNSON AND SHEILA CRUMP JOHNSON – $400 MILLION
Television moguls Bob Johnson and Sheila Johnson were married from 1969 to 2002, and during their time together cofounded the network Black Entertainment Television. In 2000, the couple became the first African-American billionaires, and when the couple divorced two years later, Sheila Johnson walked away with $400 million, according to ABC News.
MEL GIBSON AND ROBYN MOORE – $425 MILLION
Mel Gibson reportedly handed over half of his $850 million fortune when his split with his wife of 31 years, Robyn, was finalized in December 2011. As a result of the divorce, Robyn reportedly is entitled to half of Mel’s wealth, as well as any future residuals from his films.
CRAIG McCAW AND WENDY McCAW – $460 MILLION
The Seattle-area businessman was the founder of McCaw Cellular and Clearwire Corp. He split with former wife Wendy in 1998, just a few years after selling the McCaw Cellular to AT&T for between $11 billion and $12 billion.
DMITRY RYBOLOVLEV AND ELENA RYBOLOVLEVA – $600 MILLION
Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev and his ex-wife, businesswoman and socialite Elena Rybolovleva, separated after 26 years of marriage in 2008. Six years later, a Swiss court awarded Elena a whopping $4.5 billion, but after an appeal, she walked away with just over $600 million.
STEVEN WYNN AND ELAINE WYNN – $741 MILLION
In March 2010, Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn filed for divorce from wife Elaine and had to pay an estimated $741 million in Wynn Resorts stock. Now 76, Elaine is a long-time member of Wynn’s board and the company’s largest shareholder.
RUPERT MURDOCH AND ANNA TORV – 1.7 BILLION
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch and journalist Anna Torv were married for 32 years, and had three children together before they split in 1999. The divorce was not finalized until 2013, and under the terms of the settlement Anna received $1.7 billion of Rupert’s fortune (which included $110 million in cash).
ALEC WILDENSTEIN AND JOCELYN WILDENSTEIN – $3.8 BILLION
The costliest known divorce occurred in 1999, when French-American businessman and art dealer Alec Wildenstein divorced his wife of 21 years, Jocelyn Wildenstein. The high profile proceedings resulted in Jocelyn being awarded $2.5 billion and an annual $100 million for 13 years.
If you or someone you know have questions with regard to obtaining a divorce or any other family law matter, our experienced attorneys can help. For assistance, click or call 610-892-3877.
