Sue Ann Arnall, an Oklahoma oilman’s ex is speaking out about why she decided to cash the $974.8 million check she received as part of their divorce settlement after having previously denying it.
Divorce Settlement
In November, a judge awarded Arnall a divorce settlement of almost a billion dollars to be paid by her ex-spouse, Harold Hamm, the founder and CEO of oil driller Continental Resource. While Hamm’s attorneys found the settlement to be “fair and equitable,” Arnall’s attorney countered, saying the award equalled less than 6% of what the couple’s wealth was.
Initial reports said Arnall was not accepting the check. She clarified that those reports “are not accurate,” and that she was waiting to hear results from a court hearing before putting the money into her bank account. The check, offered by Hamm on Jan. 6 was meant to avoid interest building on the balance while her appeal progressed. When she deposited the check, Hamm’s legal team immediately surmised she was not going to appeal the decision.
Still Appealing
“I will not dismiss my appeal and do not feel that my right to appeal should be denied because I have accepted, in the interim, a small portion of the estate that we built over more than two decades,” Sue Ann Arnall said.
“I believe it is unfair that any woman’s property be controlled by a former husband,” she says. “During our 26-year marriage, and during the nearly three years this case has been pending, Hamm has had complete control and full use of the assets we built together, while I have patiently waited for access. I was simply not willing to wait several more years while the appeal is pending.”
Divorce Settlement “not fair and equitable.”
She adds: “I still believe that the trial court’s award was not fair and equitable.” Her decision to cash the check, she says, followed “much consideration and discussion with my adult daughters,” and was made “in the interest of my family, my privacy and my future as a business owner and philanthropist.”
Source: People, Billion-Dollar Oklahoma Divorce Case Not Over Yet, Says Oilman’s Ex-Wife, January 13, 2014
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