Many people think celebrities are above the courts because of their vast wealth. In truth, celebrity divorce cases get settled in court just like any divorce. Judges weigh all the normal aspects of a divorce when considering their rulings on celebrity divorces. Listed below are examples of 10 high profile celebrity divorces.
Here is a list of the top 20 biggest divorce settlements for celebrities:
- Mel Gibson’s divorce from Robyn Moore Gibson; estimated at $425 million
- Michael Jordan’s divorce from Juanita Jordan; estimated at $168 million
- Neil Diamond’s divorce from Marcia Murphey; estimated at $150 million
- Garth Brooks’ divorce from Sandy Mahl; estimated at $125 million
- Greg Norman’s divorce from Laura Andrassy; estimated at $103 million
- Tiger Woods’ divorce from Elin Nordegren; estimated at $100 million
- Steven Spielberg’s divorce from Amy Irving; estimated at $100 million
- Madonna’s divorce from Guy Ritchie; estimated at $76–$92 million
- Harrison Ford’s divorce from Melissa Mathison; estimated at $85 million
- Kevin Costner’s divorce from Cindy Silva; estimated at $80 million
- Kenny Rogers divorce from Marianne Rogers; estimated at $60 million
- Kelsey Grammer’s divorce from Camille Grammer; estimated at $60 million
- James Cameron’s divorce from Linda Hamilton; estimated at $50 million
- Paul McCartney’s divorce from Heather Mills; estimated at $48.6 million
- Michael Douglas’ divorce from Diandra Douglas; estimated at $45 million
- Ted Danson’s divorce from Casey Coats; estimated at $30 million
- Donald Trump’s divorce from Ivana Trump; estimated at $25 million
- Lionel Richie’s divorce from Diane Richie; estimated at $20 million
- Johnny Carson’s divorce from Joanna Holland; estimated at $20 million
- Mick Jagger’s divorce from Jerry Hall; estimated between $15 and $25 million
As you can tell from this list, the amount of money issued across the board to the spouses of the divorced celebrities appears to about 50% of their net worth at the time. Pretty telling, isn’t it? No one is above the law when it comes to divorce.
This is why prenuptial agreements have skyrocketed in the last 10 years. Celebrities with vast wealth have watched other celebrities’ wealth get cut in half overnight at the whim of “irreconcilable differences”. It is amazing to see the types of settlements reached with celebrities that are naive or don’t think they need a lawyer when dealing with marriage.
Not consulting a lawyer before getting married is equivalent to jumping out of an airplane with a bag you picked up off the plane. You may never know if that is a parachute until it is time to pull the cord. And when the time comes, you might be slammed into the ground and lose everything because you didn’t take the time to plan ahead. This may be an extreme comparison but people have lost their entire livelihoods in divorce cases. Do not be naive, and do not think you know everything. Call an experienced family case attorney like Mark E. Sawicki, P.A. to advise on your marriage before you tie the knot.
Did you just become famous? Are you finally floating in money and have no care in the world? Did you finally decide to put a ring on it? Do you live in Florida? If you answered yes to all of these questions, call Mark E. Sawicki, P.A. before you put a ring on it. Becoming a celebrity and amassing a large sum of money is intoxicating. It lowers one’s inhibitions, and this can lead to poor decision making. Don’t become another example of bad decision making.