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Tropical_Man 67M
6573 posts
10/11/2008 4:59 am
Top 10: Most Expensive Divorce Settlements


Editors' Note: This article was published before Harrison Ford's ex-wife, Melissa Mathison, was awarded $118 million in January 2004. Otherwise, that divorce settlement would have surely been way up there.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 43% of first marriages will end in divorce or separation within 15 years in the United States. In 2000, there were 957,200 divorces, and reconciliation occured only for about 10% of them. In 1994, Massachusetts had the lowest divorce rate in the country with 2.4 divorces for every 1,000 people, while Nevada had the highest rates with 9.0.

Most of the time, divorces are settled between the spouses. But sometimes lawyers intervene and the court judges what each person is entitled to. For everyday people, this process is often nothing to write home about. But when a couple is worth billions of dollars, the stakes are not about nickels and dimes anymore and it's soon obvious that prenuptial agreements can be man's second best friend. Oftentimes, it's the ex-husband who ends up compensating the woman. On that note, let's explore the craziest payouts by checking out history's most expensive divorce settlements.

The criteria to compile this list are simple; we're looking for lump sum payments, without adding monthly expenses and alimony, which occurred within the last few decades. Sorry Mr. and Mrs. Trump, you don't qualify for the list!

Tropical_Man 67M
6389 posts
10/11/2008 5:00 am

Number 10
Ted Danson & Casey Coates -- $30 million

Ted Danson's claim to fame is undoubtedly his decade-long stint as Sam Malone on NBC's celebrated sitcom Cheers . While he did other TV shows and movies, he will always be known as the bartender of that place where everybody knows your name. He met his future first bride Casey, a designer, in 1976 while doing Erhard Seminars Training.

Ten years his senior, she suffered a paralyzing stroke while giving birth to their first child in 1979. In order to nurse her back to health, Danson took a break from acting for six months. But after two children and 15 years of marriage, the infatuation fell to pieces. Danson had started seeing Whoopi Goldberg while filming the comedy, Made in America and this precipitated the 1992 divorce. Casey got $30 million for her trouble


Tropical_Man 67M
6389 posts
10/11/2008 5:02 am

Number 9
Michael & Diandra Douglas -- $45 million

An Academy Award-winning actor and producer, Michael Douglas has been a favorite of moviegoers for over 20 years. Michael, an alleged sex addict, married Diandra in 1977, when his career in feature films was still burgeoning (he was involved in the production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 1975).

Apparently fed up with his philandering, the documentary producer, owner of a clothing firm, and mother of grown son Cameron, filed for divorce in 1997. Two years of negotiations later, Michael agreed to pay $45 million (practically a third of the actor/producer's estimated fortune) to finalize the proceedings and be free to marry Catherine Zeta-Jones.


Tropical_Man 67M
6389 posts
10/11/2008 5:03 am

Number 8
James Cameron & Linda Hamilton
-- (more than) $50 million
James Cameron is the visionary filmmaker who gave the world grand Hollywood spectacles like the first two Terminator movies, in which Linda Hamilton starred, True Lies , and Titanic . The romance between the two reportedly began on the set of T2 in 1991, although they only got married in July 1997.

But at that time, Titanic was released and Cameron apparently spent more time with one of his stars, Suzy Amis, than with his wife. During their 17-month marriage, which produced a daughter, they were separated for eight months. Cameron, whom Hamilton describes as an "absolutely miserable, miserable, unhappy man," was forced to give her more than half his revenues from Titanic -- over $50 million -- in 1999


Tropical_Man 67M
6389 posts
10/11/2008 5:04 am

Number 7
Kenny & Marianne Rogers
-- $60 million
"You gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, know when to run!" Kenny Rogers has sung these lyrics many times during his career as a pop country superstar. Following his mammoth musical success in the '70s and '80s, he turned to photography, having published two books, and opened a chain of restaurants, Kenny Rogers Roasters. His net worth is valued by some at $250 million.

While doing television show Hee Haw , he met smalltime actress and Hee Haw presenter Marianne Gordon. They got married in 1977 -- his fourth time at the altar -- and had one son together. Kenny took the above lyrics to heart and divorce papers were filed in 1993 when the union fell apart. He willingly gave her $60 million, claiming she deserved every penny.


Tropical_Man 67M
6389 posts
10/11/2008 5:04 am

Number 6
Kevin Costner & Cindy Silva
-- $80 million
Kevin Costner managed to make a name for himself with blockbusters such as The Untouchables, Field of Dreams, Dances with Wolves , and JFK . He met Cindy Silva before he made his fortune, while attending California State University at Fullerton, and they got married in 1978.

The press reported Kevin's apparent infidelities in the early '90s, but restaurateur Cindy was determined to make the marriage work. However, three kids and 16 years older, the couple disintegrated in 1994. They settled matters privately and Cindy walked away with an estimated $80 million.


Tropical_Man 67M
6389 posts
10/11/2008 5:05 am

Number 5
Steven Spielberg & Amy Irving
-- $100 million
Amy Irving was a struggling actress in the '70s who shot to stardom in 1976 when she played the lone teen survivor in Carrie . During the same years, Spielberg was the new director to watch in Hollywood, having made the megahit Jaws and looking forward to a string of blockbusters.

The two wed in 1985 but the relationship soon deteriorated to the point where passion was simply not there anymore. In 1989, one of Hollywood's most prominent couples broke up harmoniously. Always a nice guy, he gave Irving, the mother of his son Max, the hefty sum of $100 million.

"Diamond"s are a girl's best friends, and the top three most expensive divorces in history


Tropical_Man 67M
6389 posts
10/11/2008 5:06 am

Number 4
Neil Diamond & Marcia Murphey
-- $150 million
A crooner beloved the world over, Neil Diamond has known success since the '60s with his own brand of easy listening classics. Throughout the '70s, he set new world records in record sales and concert attendance. During his career, which has spanned four decades, Diamond has sold more than 100 million records worldwide. When he met the woman who would share his life for 25 years, he was already married to wife number one.

Apparently, Diamond went out for cigarettes in November 1969 and never came back. Three weeks later, he had divorced and married TV producer Marcia Murphey. Following rumors of extramarital activities on Diamond's part in 1994, she moved to Splitsville, citing the popular "irreconcilable differences." The divorce was settled for $150 million, half his fortune. The singer claims he cheerfully gave her the money (she's "worth every penny") and that she deserved it for having bore him wonderful children.


Tropical_Man 67M
6389 posts
10/11/2008 5:08 am

Number 3
Craig & Wendy McCaw
-- (more than) $460 million
Craig McCaw got steady on his feet by turning a failing television cable service he had inherited from his father into a successful business, eventually selling for $755 million. In 1981, he proved to be a visionary by acquiring cellular phone licenses. He eventually sold his company to AT&T for approximately $12 billion, becoming the telecommunications giant's largest single shareholder.

McCaw met Wendy when she tutored him at Stanford University and they married in 1974. In 1995, divorce proceedings were initiated and Wendy wanted her share to support her nearly $200,000/month lifestyle. She ultimately walked away with $460 million, mostly all in Nextel stock


Tropical_Man 67M
6389 posts
10/11/2008 5:09 am

Number 2
Adnan & Soraya Khashoggi
-- $874 million
Adnan Khashoggi is a Saudi businessman who made his money as an international arms dealer for the Saudi royal family. He then launched his company Triad, based in Switzerland, owning banks, hotels and real estate all over the world.

In 1986, his fortune was estimated at $4 billion but a decade later it was estimated that he had lost most of it due to dwindling oil prices. He married Soraya in 1961 and their jet-setting lifestyle favored a string of adulterous lovers for both of them. Their 1982 divorce netted her an estimated $874 million in an out-of-court settlement, although numbers vary according to sources


Tropical_Man 67M
6389 posts
10/11/2008 5:10 am

NUMBER ONE!
Rupert & Anna Murdoch
-- $1.7 billion
One of the richest men in the world, Rupert Murdoch developed his worldwide media empire when he inherited his father's Australian newspaper in 1952. He married Anna Murdoch in the '60s and they remained together for 32 years, springing off three children.

They split amicably in 1998 but soon Rupert forced Anna off the board of News Corp and the gloves came off. The divorce was finalized in June 1999 when Rupert agreed to let his ex-wife leave with $1.7 billion worth of his assets, $110 million of it in cash. Seventeen days later, Rupert married Wendi Deng, one of his employees.


pricelessjoy 73F
5916 posts
10/11/2008 8:48 am

Wow! Interesting. My mother always told me to marry a rich man. I Shoulda listened!(Just kidding! )

What impresses me even more is that Paul Newman was married to his wife for over 50 years before he died. When asked why he doesn't chase other women, he replied, "Why go out for hamburgar when you have steak at home?"


May God Bless You in ABUNDANCE


Tropical_Man 67M
6389 posts
10/11/2008 2:03 pm

yeah I remember him saying that. He was a good man