1. $25 million- Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall
Compared
to other celebrity divorce settlements 25 million seems like a low number but
it’s not considering that Mick Jagger and supermodel Jerry Hall were never
actually married. Their “marriage” was a small religious ceremony in Bali that
had no legal status. Their relationship lasted 21 years during which they had 4
children. In 1999 Hall filed for divorce asking for a $50 million settlement.
Although she was legally entitled to nothing she made out with a reported $25
million.
2. $30 million- Ted Danson and Casey Coates
Cheers’
bartender Ted Danson married his first wife Casey Coates (10 years his senior)
in 1976. A close couple, Danson took a six month off of work to nurse Coates
back to health after she suffered a stroke during the birth of their first
child. They had a second child together before the 1992 divorce. It is believed
that Danson’s unusually close relationship to co-star Whoopi Goldberg while
filming Made in America is what ultimately led to the divorce.
3. $45 million- Michael and Diandra Douglas
Actor/Producer
Michael Douglas married Diandra in 1977, early in his carrier. After 20 years of
marriage clothing store owner and mother of their child Diandra filed for
divorce. The divorce settlement was $45 million, an estimated third of Douglas’s
fortune at the time. Shortly after divorce Douglas married fellow actress
Catherine Zeta-Jones. Notably, Douglas has been accused of being a sex addict.
4. $50 million- James Cameron and Linda Hamilton
Reportedly,
the romance between famous director James Cameron and actress Linda Hamilton
began in 1991, on the set of Terminator 2. The couple married in 1997 and had a
daughter. Surprisingly, even after a long courtship the couple was only married
for 17-months, 8 of which they were separated. During this time Cameron is
believed to have been dating Titanic star Suzy Amis. In the end Cameron was
forced settle with Hamilton who walked away with $50 million, half the revenue
of the box-office hit Titanic.
5. $80 million- Kevin Costner and Cindy Silva
In
1994 Costner ended his 16-year marriage to restaurateur, college sweet-heart and
mother of his three children, Cindy Silva. The two met while studying at
California State University at Fullerton, before Costner hit it big. It is
reported that Costner’s infidelity on set is what finally lead to their melt
down.
6. $85 million plus- Harrison Ford and Melissa Mathison
Actor
Harrison Ford and wife Melissa Mathison divorced in 2004 after 18 years of
marriage. Mathison received an $85 million settlement as well as a share of all
future earnings on movies he made while they were together. This includes
royalties and DVD sales of 22 movies including Witness, The Fugitive and the
Indiana Jones Trilogy.
7. $100 million- Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving
After
4 years of marriage and one child, actress Amy Irving and well-known director
Steven Spielberg called it quits. Even though the couple had signed a prenuptial
agreement before marriage Irving contested that at the time of signing she did
not have the legal representation required. In the end Spielberg settled with
Irving for $100 million.
8. $150 Million- Neil Diamond and Marcia Murphy
Legendary
singer Neil Diamond and his second wife Marcia Murphy divorced in 1994 after 33
years of marriage. Diamond has been quoted saying that Marcia “earned every
penny” and that “she’s been through thick and thin with [him] and deserves half
of [his] fortune.” Although Diamond has not remarried he has been dating Rachel
“Rae” Farley, 33, since 1996.
9. $168 million- Michael and Juanita Vanoy Jordan
Michael
Jordan met Juanita Vanoy on a blind date in 1984 and by 1989 they were married.
In 2002 the couple filed for their first divorce but reconciled shortly after.
Again, in 2006 they filed for divorce, but this time they followed through. The
couple had both signed a prenuptial agreement entitling Juanita two half of
Michael’s fortune. In the end she walked away with a $168 million settlement,
their seven-acre estate and custody of their three kids.
10. $300 million- Roman and Irina Abramovich
Roman
Abramovich, now the richest man in Russia was once a struggling business man
living with a wife and young daughter in a small flat. In 1990 Abramovich met
the beautiful Irina, an Aeroflot flight attendant who soon became his second
wife. While they were married Abramovich made his fortune. After 17 years of
marriage the couple divorced. Somehow Abramovich talked the $7 billion divorce
settlement down to a little cash and a few assets such as homes, a yacht and a
plan. All of this amounts to about $300 million, a mere 2 percent of
Abramovich’s $18.7 billion fortune.
11. $188-376 million- Paul McCartney and Heather Mills
In
2006—after 4 years of marriage and one child— the former Beatle filed for
divorce from ex-model Heather Mills citing “unreasonable behavior.” Mills now
claims that Sir McCartney abused her and that she has evidence to prove it.
Although no settlement has been reached it is estimated that Mills will end up
with $188 million to $376 million, really only a small portion of McCartney’s
worth.
12. $460 million plus- Craig and Wendy McCaw
Craig
McCaw’s fortune began when he turned the failing television cable service he
inherited to a successful business. He eventually sold the it for $755 million.
A visionary, he acquired cell phone licenses as early as 1981, which he was
eventually able to sell to AT&T for $12 billion. He met his future wife before
he made his billions when she tutored him at Stanford University. Their marriage
lasted from 1974 until 1995. The settlement gave Wendy $460 million, enough to
support her $200,000 per week lifestyle.
13. $874 million- Adan and Soraya Khashoggi
Adan
Khashoggi made his early money as an international arms dealer for the Saudi
royal family. He than started his own company Triad, which owned and managed
banks, hotels, and real estate across the globe. He married Soraya in 1961. Both
enjoyed living lavish lifestyles including thrilling affairs. They divorced in
1982 and Soraya walked away with an $874 million out-of-court settlement, one of
the most expensive in history.
14. $1.7 billion- Rupert and Anna Murdoch
Rupert
Murdoch is one of the richest men in the world. He made his fortune by
inheriting his father’s Australian newspaper in 1952 and developing it into a
worldwide media empire News Corporation. He married Anna in the 60’s and they
had three children together. In 1999 they divorced and Rupert agreed to give
Anna $1.7 billion mostly in assets, although she was removed from the News Corp
board. Seventeen days after the divorce was finalized Rupert married his younger
employee Wendi Deng.
15. A NEW HIGH?- Frederick and Vera Chiluba
The
33 year marriage between the former President of Zambia, Frederick Chiluba and
his wife Vera was recently annulled. Ex-wife Vera is asking for a settlement of
$2.5 billion (more than three quarters of the county’s Gross Domestic Product)
in addition to a share of their concrete assets including six houses and a farm,
she is also demanding over 400 cows, sheep, and goats. Since it is unknown
exactly how much the ex-president is worth or how he was able to acquire the
money this case has not yet been settled and Vera is living off government
assistance.
