The ex-wife of a US lawyer has received a reduced settlement after making public allegations about her ex-husband.
During a drawn-out seven year divorce, the Manhattan resident claimed that her husband had been abusive and spent a large sum on an engagement ring for his girlfriend but had refused to pay for hearing aids for his daughter.
The husband, meanwhile, claimed that the allegations had damaged the value of his business and a judge ruled in his favour, the New York Daily News reports. The wife’s share of her husband’s legal partnership was therefore reduced from half, or approximately $2.5 million, to just 17 per cent ($855,000).
In a ruling this week, the judge declared:
“The court concludes that the wife contributed to the decline in value of the husband’s law practice….in essence, the wife chose to bite the hand that fed her.”
The judgement continued: ‘Although the court recognizes that the wife feels she was badly treated by the husband, her repeated attacks against him have played a part in diminishing his income.”
She will, however, receive half of the couple’s other substantial assets, as well as $21,000 a month in ‘spousal support’ (maintenance).
The couple married in 1988 and have two teenage children. They split acrimoniously in 2007.
The couple’s divorce had been, said the judge, “one of the most contentious litigations this court has ever presided over.”
She added: “the parties were never happy in their marriage”.
Photo of New York City by Luca5 via Flickr under a Creative Commons licence
I have to admit I found this very funny, kicking her cash cow in the proverbials was obviously not wise 🙂
Anyway, she is not going to go short of a few bob…
I think that would have to be “cash bull”, Luke, but otherwise I agree with you!