It seems hedge fun billionaire Ken Griffin’s divorce will never be settled. As more is revealed about the couple’s spending habits, it seems new arguments are rising about spousal support v. child support.
Child Support v. Spousal Support
Last month, it came out that the family spent $1 million per month on their three kids, including: $300,000 a month for intercontinental private-jet travel, $160,000 a month for vacation rentals and $60,000 a month for office space and professional staff. New revelations about the couple’s spending have just been released that detail how this $1 million per month breaks down. And according to these recently released documents, Grffin is arguing that his ex-wife, Anne Dias, has listed expenses as “child support,” even though they should clearly be listed as spousal support, since they go towards maintaining her “lifestyle.”
Breakdown of Expenses
The expenses include, per month: $6,800 for groceries, $7,200 for restaurant meals, $8,000 for gifts, and $2,000 for stationery. Griffin is claiming his ex-wife also sought $450,000 for a 10-day vacation in St. Bart’s. He agreed to $45,000 for the vacation.
Maintaining Lifestyle Prior to Divorce
Though Dias’ lawyers are not disputing the expenses, they do argue that per Illinois law, Griffin is required to fund the children’s lifestyle to maintain the lifestyle the children maintained during their parents’ marriage. They argue that the expenses simply match those of when the couple was married.
Prenuptial Agreement
Dias is also seeking to nullify the prenuptial agreement, while also making claims that Griffin is failing to pay adequate child support for their three kids. The three children are all under age 10.
Griffin maintains he is paying “virtually every expense” related to the children. These expenses include the children’s four nannies. He’s arguing that the paid expenses are solely for Dias’ benefit. These expenses include: a private chef, multiple house cleaners, and a house manager/personal assistant. According to Griffin, Dias is attempting to fund her lifestyle by claiming that her personal expenses should be a portion of child support.
Source: NBC News, $450,000 for a Vacation? Inside a Billionaire’s Divorce, February 23, 2015
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