Billionaire Steve Wynn is staking a claim to a not-so-coveted world record: The Las Vegas casino tycoon told AOL News his break-up with ex-wife Elaine Wynn may be the most expensive divorce in history. In what celebrity journalist Robin Leach called "one of the most pleasant divorce cases" he has ever seen among the rich and famous, the Wynns evenly split their 38 percent stake in Wynn Resorts Ltd. Elaine Wynn, who has always been deeply involved in the business, walked away with stock valued at $955 million. Is Steve Wynn right that his is the most expensive divorce ever? Following is a list of 5 comparable splits:
Rupert Murdoch: The Australian media mogul may still have Wynn beat. In his 1999 divorce settlement, Murdoch kept control of his family's 30 percent of News Corp. But he reportedly paid out $1.7 billion to ex-wife Anna.
Mel Gibson: The Australian actor and his wife, Robyn, are working on the amicable division of a fortune estimated at $900 million. Most of their money is tied up in real estate, which they reportedly plan to split evenly. And their production company, Icon, will be operated as a partnership once the divorce is final.
Jack Welch: Former General Electric chairman Jack Welch divorced from his second wife, Jane, in 2002. While the settlement is not public, her attorney publicly estimated the couple's shared fortune at $800 million.
Frank McCourt: The billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers is in the midst of a bitter divorce fight with his wife, Jamie. Frank McCourt wants to pay his estranged wife $150,000 a month; Jamie McCourt says she needs $1 million every month to pay her lawyers and maintain her lifestyle, which includes a personal stylist and a $27 million Los Angeles compound next to the Playboy Mansion. Mrs. McCourt, who was the Dodgers' chief executive until her husband fired her last year, also wants a half share in the $800 million team.
Steve Cohen: The hedge-fund billionaire's divorce was finalized 20 years ago, but ex-wife Patricia Cohen has filed a lawsuit claiming that her former husband cheated her out of "a substantial, if not controlling, interest in SAC Capital," Cohen's $13 billion hedge fund. Patricia Cohen wants $300 million. Cohen made $1.4 billion last year — but only $150,000 of that went to Patricia Cohen and their two children.
Sources: AOL News, NY Times, eCanadaNow, SF Chronicle, Telegraph, New York
