Marriage can be an incredibly happy and rewarding way of life for some people. However, there are some relationships that simply do not work out in the end for a variety of reasons. The outcomes of those fallen relationships can also range greatly from amicable to hostile. In some cases, divorces can be costly in a physical, mental, and especially financial sense as well.
The losses that accompany divorce can climb pretty high on the end of financial cost. For some good examples of costly annulments, here are six of the most expensive divorces ever:
1. Dmitry and Elena Rybolovlev – $604 million divorce
This divorce that began in 2008 and battled in the courtroom until 2015 ended with Dmitry Ryboloblev paying out a whopping $604 million! This has to be one of the most expensive divorces ever. It is a dizzying amount of cash for most people, but Rybolovlev got off on the cheap side, all things considered.
In 2014, a court ruling awarded Elena Rybolovlev a total of $4.5 billion. However, Dmitry was in turn given an appeal that lowered that price to a relatively more comfortable $604 million. In the end, the marriage did cost him a fortune, but it could have been much worse.
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2. Harrison Ford & Melissa Mathison – $85 million divorce
Decades of marriage can lead to a strong, sturdy bond that is hard to break. Although, it can also lead to a severe deterioration of that bond, and that seems to have been the case between Ford and Mathison. After 21 years of marriage, the couple called it quits in 2004.
Ford, having been a very successful film star in the decades following his appearance in sci-fi classic Star Wars, had quite the savings account built up. Unfortunately for him, the expensive divorce ended up costing him a supposed total of $85 million.
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3. Harold and Sue Ann Hamm – $1 billion divorce
How costly could the divorce of an Oklahoman oil and gas executive get, exactly? Well, it could end in the single largest settlement check to be written as of yet, actually. Naturally, that did not stop Sue Ann Hamm from pursuing a larger check, though.
The 2015 divorce left Harold Hamm writing a painful check for $974.8 million, which is often rounded up to a total of $1 billion after the exchange of assets, as well as other payments. As was mentioned before, Sue Ann appealed for more money from the deal, but apparently cashed the hefty check in the end. The end of this marriage marked one of the most expensive divorces ever.
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4. Mel Gibson and Robyn Moore – $425 million divorce
Mel Gibson has had his fair share of iconic roles both in front of and behind the camera. With so much success under his belt, it was only natural that he would have a sizable fortune to show for it. Sadly, his cinematic success did not translate well to his personal life, ending in the death of a marriage that lasted almost three whole decades.
The divorce occurred in 2011, and split Gibson’s $850 million fortune in half at the cost of $425 million. This famous divorce led to one of the most expensive divorces ever.
5. Adnan and Soraya Khashoggi – $874 million divorce
In the world of the 1980s, Soraya Khashoggi was a member of the world elite. Known as one of the most beautiful women of her generation, she had an endlessly interesting social life that had her rubbing shoulders with the likes of Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor. It even had her becoming romantically involved with figures such as Warren Beatty and even members of the British parliament. To put it plainly, Khashoggi had some power in the world.
At the height of that power, she married a Saudi Arabian businessman named Adnan Khashoggi. Together, the two owned three yachts, just as many private planes, as well as 17 homes. That is, until their divorce in 1982, which ended in a settlement of $874 million. Today, that would amount to the equivalent of $2.2 billion, making it one of the most expensive divorces ever.
6. Jeff and Mackenzie Bezos – Ongoing divorce
Founder and CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, has been announced as the richest man in the world. As such, he has quite a bit to lose. That may just come to pass, as he is currently in the process of a divorce.
Bezos is a resident of Washington, which is a community property state. What this means is that any and all assets, as well as debts, that were accumulated during the marriage would be considered equally owned by both spouses. If that is the case, Mackenzie Bezos would be entitled to half of Jeff’s overwhelming fortune, leaving it as one of the most expensive divorces to occur as of yet.
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