Russia's 'Fertilizer King' hit with world's 'most expensive' divorce settlement

Getty Images/Pascal Le Segretain

Russia's 'Fertilizer King' hit with world's 'most expensive' divorce settlement
(Image credit: Getty Images/Pascal Le Segretain)

Dmitry Rybolovlev, a Russian oligarch also known as the "Fertilizer King," is currently embroiled in what could end up being the world's largest divorce settlement. A Swiss court has ordered the billionaire to pay $4.5 billion stemming from a 2011 divorce filing that accused him of a series of infidelities, including wild romps with young women on pricey yachts.

Rybolovlev, who has earned his billions from running a successful fertilizer manufacturer, not only has to fork over that massive sum, but hand his ex-wife the keys to two swanky Swiss chalets and the custody of their 13-year-old daughter. The ex-wife's lawyer declared it the "most expensive divorce in history," although, as The Washington Post points out, that's hard to verify since billionaires often have their settlements sealed.

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Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.