In an Oklahoma City courthouse yesterday, County Judge Howard Haralson ordered oil magnate Harold Hamm to pay nearly $1 billion to his ex-wife. That is one of the largest divorce settlements in American history, but it is nothing compared to some other famous divorces around the world- including one that surged past $4 billion.
Here now are some of the other most expensive divorces.
Dmitry Rybolovlev and Elena Rybolovleva
Earlier this year, Russian businessman Dmitry Rybolovlev divorced his wife Elena Rybolovleva, with an estimated price tag of $4.5 Billion. Elena Rybolovleva was also awarded ownership of two homes in Switzerland worth $146 million.
In 1999, the media mogul ended his marriage to Anna Torv Murdoch, and spent a reported $1.7 Billion. 17 days after his divorce, Murdoch married Wendi Deng — from whom he is also now divorced.
The 31-year marriage of Mel Gibson and Robyn Gibson ended in 2009. The Oscar-winning director and actor lost $425 million in the divorce (half of his net worth at the time).
Michael Jordan and Juanita Jordan
The basketball legend and his wife filed for divorce in 2006. After earning more than $300 million dollars in the NBA during his marriage, Jordan ended up paying an estimated $168 million to his ex-wife.
Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren
In 2010, Tiger Woods became late night fodder after it was revealed he had cheated on his wife with multiple women. After those revelations — which landed Woods in rehab for sex addiction — Elin Nordegren got a divorce and a reported $110 million.
Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving
During the divorce proceedings of Steven Spielberg and actress Amy Irving, a judge chose not to recognize the napkin Spielberg said contained his prenuptial agreement as legitimate. Irving was awarded $100 million.
The dissolving of a marriage is never an easy thing, especially when there are millions (or billions) of dollars involved. Oklahoma Oil magnate Harold Hamm’s and Sue Ann Hamm’s $995.5 million settlement is one of the largest in history — but if history is any guide, this ruling is not the last of its kind.
MS NOW staff