London has a strong claim for being known as “The divorce capital of the world” because of the size of awards in celebrity or big money settlements.
The English Family Courts have a wide discretion on divorce to make financial awards. The starting point is usually an equal division of all assets that have been built up during a marriage (which will include a family home even if it has been bought using premarital wealth) with the possibility of an open-ended maintenance (alimony) order as well.
However, in case you were wondering whether leaving your spouse might result in a hefty division of assets, here’s a list of some of the world’s largest known settlements.
- Donald and Ivana Trump, married for 15 years. Settlement £19,000,000.
- Paul McCartney and Heather Mills, married for 4 years. Settlement £24,000,000 + £35,000 per annum.
- Madonna and Guy Ritchie, married for 7 years. Settlement £50,000,000+.
- Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy, married for 17 years. Settlement £128,000,000.
- Mel Gibson and Robyn Moore, married for 31 years. Settlement £325,000,000.
- Bernie Ecclestone and Slavica Radic, married for 23 years. Settlement £740,000,000.
- Rupert Murdoch and Anna Torv, married for 31 years. Settlement £1.3 billion.
- Alex and Jocelyn Wildstein, married for 21 years. Settlement £2.9 billion.
- Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos, married 25 years. Settlement £27 billion.
We’re indebted to Yahoo News! For originally compiling this list and for converting several of the settlements from US dollars into UK sterling.
Even in dollars the amounts would be eye-watering.
Our Family lawyers have the knowledge and experience to guide you through these challenging times and have rankings in the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners for their expertise.
If you need some advice and support, please get in touch via family@bishopandsewell.co.uk or call us direct on +44(0)20 7091 2869. We are here for you.
The above is accurate as at 31 July 2020. The information above may be subject to change during these ever-changing times.
The content of this note should not be considered legal advice and each matter should be considered on a case by case basis.
