Ending a marriage and getting separated from your spouse is always hard and it takes several years to finalize the process. Moreover, the division of finances and assets among both parties is nothing less than a nightmare.
There is nothing pleasant about divorces as it splits up families and leads to public embarrassment. In the case of a high-asset divorce among billionaires, it costs them a fortune to not only get divorced but to also offer alimony.
Most Expensive Divorces – List Of Top Most Expensive Divorces Across The World
This is probably the reason why prenups are getting more and more common and there’s a valid reason behind that. You may not be aware of the fact but it’s true that there are a few of the most famous divorces in history that cost millions of dollars. Here is a list of the 15 most expensive divorces in the world.
Jeff and Mackenzie Bezos
Could you believe us if we tell you that this divorce cost 68 billion dollars? Well, this is probably the reason why Jeff and Mackenzie Bezos take the top spot among the most expensive divorces.
Jeff Bezos is the richest man in the world and is the CEO of Amazon, he has a net worth of 137 billion dollars. They had been on a trial separation and a journey to explore their marriage but things went unsuccessful when they decided to finally split. Till date, this divorce is considered to be the most exorbitant one in the world.
Alec Wildenstein and Jocelyn Wildenstein
This is undoubtedly the second-highest most costly divorce in the world costing around $2.8 Billion. Alec Wildenstein Is a French American art and business dealer and he filed for divorce in the year 1999 from his wife Jocelyn.
This couple was together for 21 years before they called it quits and after their separation, they were not at all on talking terms with each other. Jocelyn is said to have received an advance of 2.5 billion dollars followed by a hundred million dollars every year for a span of 12 years.
Rupert Murdoch and Anna Torv
After spending 31 years of married life, media king, Rupert Murdoch and his wife Maria Torv got divorced in the year 1999 and made it to the list of expensive divorces.
Their divorce cost around 1.7 billion dollars though the couple agreed on an amicable separation and the night to reveal much to the media. Soon after Rupert announced his divorce, he got married again to Wendi Deng, who was 38 years younger than him. Do you get ‘move on’ goals from him?
Bernie Ecclestone and Slavica Radic
Just crossing the mark of 1 billion dollars was yet another expensive Divorce of Bernie Ecclestone and Slavica Radic.
they went through a long process of negotiations and arbitrations with their lawyers and finally settled on an order of 1.2 billion dollars. Slavica was extremely clever to utilize your newfound cash and transform it into an even bigger settlement of 1.6 billion dollars in her investment portfolio. That was not at all a bad return for her.
Harold Hamm and Sue Ann Arnall
It was in the year 2012 that the so Harold Hamm got divorced from his wife Sue Ann Arnall after spending 24 years together.
Their divorce makes it to the list of the most expensive divorces in the world as it cost around 975 million dollars. Harold Hamm successfully handed over a staggering 975 million dollar check in order to settle the divorce in an amicable manner.
This was roughly 5% of the total net worth of her ex-husband. It was reported that she didn’t encash the check till 2015 as her lawyers were still pursuing obtaining more money from her ex-husband.
Adnan and Soraya Khashoggi
Adnan Khashoggi was a Saudi Arabian billionaire and is also known to be one of the richest men in the whole world.
However, in the year 1982, he had to pay Soraya Khashoggi a whopping amount of $875 million in the form of a divorce settlement. When they were at the height of their financial health, they were the owners of three planes, 17 homes, and 3 yachts. This divorce, therefore, makes it to the list of a few expensive divorces in the world.
Steven and Elaine Wynn
Steven WynnIs is well known as a casino Mogul and when he filed for divorce from his ex-wife Elaine in 2010, it made it to the list of the most expensive divorces in the world.
Stephen had to pay an approximate amount of 745 million dollars to persuade the courts in order to complete the divorce process smoothly. This couple was previously married from 1963 to 1986 and hence this is the second divorce of the couple. This divorce straight away took its place in the record books due to being one of the most expensive divorces of the time.
Dmitry Rybolovlev and Elena Rybolovlev
This is yet another costly divorce of 604 million dollars. the couple called off their marriage after 26 years in the year 2008. Dmitry Rybolovlev and Elena Rybolovlev are said to have a lovely marriage but the main reason behind their divorce is not known.
Several years after filing the divorce, the courts ordered Dmitry to pay a whopping amount of 4.8 billion dollars to his ex-wife. After several negotiations, the final payout was slightly more than 600 million dollars.
Craig and Wendy McCaw
Craig McCaw was the founder of Cellular and Clearwire Corp and he separated from his ex-wife Wendy McCaw in the year 1998.
Just a few years before he filed for divorce, Craig sold off his company to AT&T for 12 billion dollars. Hence he could smoothly walk away from his 21-year marriage by settling down with an amount of 460 million dollar payout.
Mel Gibson and Robyn Moore
Since their divorce got close enough to half a million dollars, it straight away took its place on the list of the most expensive divorces in the world.
They had spent 26 years in each other’s company after which the couple announced their divorce in the year 2011. This couple didn’t sign a prenuptial agreement due to which the divorce settlement cost Mel around half of his net worth during that time. He had to pay 425 million dollars to finalize his divorce.
Robert Johnson and Sheila Crump Johnson
This is yet another costly divorce where Robert Johnson had to pay a whopping amount of 400 million dollars to his wife Sheila Crump Johnson.
1969 was the year in which this couple got married and afterward, they co-founded BET or Black Entertainment Television which soon made them the first African-American billionaires in the year 2000. This couple announced a divorce in the year 2002 and the ex-wife grabbed 400 million dollars as a divorce payout.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt
We all had thought that this celebrity couple is never going to separate from each other but Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie proved us wrong by announcing their divorce in the year 2016.
The couple owned a 500 million dollar Empire together and they had to make vital decisions on how to split this huge property. Over the years of their marriage, they had gathered a minimum of nine properties and a premium collection of fine art, jewelry, vintage motorbikes, and cars. Their divorce is the 13th largest divorce in the world.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver
After spending 25 years of marriage, this power couple called off their marriage in the year 2011. Maria Shriver was heartbroken after she heard the news of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s new affair with their housekeeper.
This is when she decided to file for a divorce once and for all. This couple didn’t sign a prenuptial agreement, the wife could walk away with 250 million dollars along with legal custody of the children. This made this divorce a talk of the town and took it to the list of the costliest divorces in the world.
Michael Jordan And Juanita Vanoy
Michael Jordan And Juanita Jordan got married in the year 1989 when Michael was still playing for the Chicago Bulls. however later, due to some unknown reason, they decided to call off their marriage in the year 2016.
They had released a formal statement where they mentioned that they ended their marriage amicably and mutually. Juanita not only e got custody of their children but also walked away with 168 million dollars and their seven-acre Chicago mansion.
Neil Diamond and Marcia Murphey
This is one more divorce that made it to the list of the costliest divorces in the world with a payout of $150 million. Neil Diamond and Marcia Murphy got divorced in the year March 1995 after being together for a span of 25 years.
It has been reported that Neil was the one who strayed out of their relationship and he also blamed himself for everything that had happened to their relationship. Murphy was the one who walked away from the 25-year marriage with a staggering amount of $150 million.
So, we hope you enjoyed the list of the 15 most expensive divorces in the world. Divorce isn’t something that should ever be taken lightly as it is the cause of distress in the lives of the people involved.
A note on the figures: net worth for a public figure is an estimate, assembled from reported earnings, visible assets and a good deal of inference. It is not an audited financial disclosure, published sources routinely disagree, and the number changes over time. Treat it as an indication of scale rather than an exact amount.
