In a high-asset divorce, the numbers are relative. In other words, a given divorce proceeding entailing what most people might deem as significant realty and personal assets can be easily eclipsed by one that follows it and features an even weightier property division.
The details concerning some celebrity divorces certainly bear this out.
Take Kobe and Vanessa Bryant, for instance. Vanessa filed for divorce late last year from the Los Angeles Lakers basketball star. Estimates concerning what she might walk away with varied somewhat, but many commentators similarly concluded that she might likely receive around $75 million in a divorce settlement, plus ownership of three homes that the couple owns.
The discussion surrounding a divorce outcome for the couple seems to now be shelved, with reports that they are attempting reconciliation. That could be love, of course, but it could also be tempered by — as some cynics might note — the fact that the couple never executed a prenuptial agreement prior to getting married. As one columnist has noted, Kobe Bryant perhaps simply concluded that, “It’s cheaper to keep her.”
Seventy-five million plus homes, though, doesn’t even come close to the highly publicized settlements of other celebrities.
Madonna’s divorce reportedly cost her closer to $100 million. Steven Spielberg’s divorce settlement was stated to be similarly close to that, with one notable caveat: He and ex-wife Amy Irving were married for less than three years.
Singer Garth Brooks? His former spouse received a settlement of $125 million. Fellow singer Neil Diamond noted that he “willingly” gave his former wife $150 million as a settlement.
It has been remarked that Kobe Bryant is likely well aware of the divorce outcome of Michael Jordan, the basketball star who preceded him and to whom many people draw comparisons. In 2007, Juanita Jordan reportedly received more than $260 million in her divorce settlement.
Source: The Washington Times, “Kobe & Vanessa Bryant: Their divorce is minor compared to these top 10 settlements,” Myra Fleischer, June 13, 2012
