Getting a divorce can be difficult for both parties, but when there’s a large amount of money at stake, even small disagreements can be seriously difficult to overcome. In this case that has made national news for its unusual aspects, it’s been reported that two people have spent millions on a divorce that’s still not settled. The divorce itself is over, separating the two, but there are still aspects in the courts.
One major problem the wife has is that her ex-husband doesn’t want to release parts of his trust funds to her. Those trusts are worth millions of dollars, but they were set up by her father-in-law for his son. The court must decide if the woman is meant to continue living the life she was accustomed to with her husband or if a more modest payout is what she should receive.
The woman’s ex-husband initiated the divorce, and his ex-wife claims that she feels he wanted to be with other women. Their marriage has been dissolved, leaving them only money to feud over; it’s estimated that the man is worth at least tens of millions of dollars, if not more.
The man’s ex claims that this isn’t about money, it’s about her rights as a woman; she feels she was discarded when her husband felt he wanted to move on. She claims she’s been faithful as a mother and wife, and she even gave up her career as a business executive while with her husband in order to take care of her family.
Her ex-husband claims he’s made settlement offers to his ex-wife, but she claims that none were formal. Even if his offers had been, they wouldn’t come close to the millions she could be entitled to if the court rules in her favor. She claims she’s the only person who has nothing from the marriage; her children have trust funds, but she has no income, savings, Social Security or retirement to show for her efforts.
Source: Star Tribune, “Millions of dollars, wild cast of characters in bitter Edina divorce,” Jan. 09, 2016