RUPERT MURDOCH FILES DIVORCE ACTION AGAINST HIS WIFE OF 14 YEARS

A media mogul worth many billions of dollars can’t generally be pinned down as a predictable kind of person. That’s probably true of Rupert Murdoch, the head of the multi-billion dollar media conglomerate known as the News Corporation. He surprised friends and pundits by filling a no-fault divorce action in another state just recently. The same general principles governing the divorce in that state would apply also in Michigan.

The 82-year-old media giant filed against his 44-year-old wife, Wendi Deng Murdoch with a no-fault claim that the marriage was irretrievably broken. Murdoch’s first divorce was reportedly the most expensive in history with the $1.7 billion settlement that was paid to his then wife of 35 years. This divorce is likely to be less expensive because Murdoch got a prenuptial agreement signed by Deng before the marriage in 1994.

However, based on 14 years of marriage and two minor children, the payout to Mrs. Murdoch will likely be substantial. Mrs. Murdoch has no interest in the News Corporation but the two children, ages 9 and 14, do have an interest in the Murdoch Family Trust that controls the corporation. But it was Murdoch’s rather shocking announcement about that trust that first triggered serious dissension between the couple.

He told Charlie Rose in an interview that the two younger children would have no voting interest in the family trust. The announcement created a major falling out. The relationship seemed mended in 2011 when Mrs. Murdoch scored a public relations coup in a hearing in front of parliament.

She lunged at a protestor and protected her husband from a pie attack. The incident seemed to bode well for the marriage. The nature of the settlement in this case cannot be predicted without first knowing the terms of the prenuptial agreement between them.

In Michigan and elsewhere, a prenuptial agreement is signed by the parties prior to entering into the marriage. It’s an enforceable contract that sets forth who owns what property, and identifies property that is intended to remain as separate during the marriage. In general, it’s used by the wealthier party to limit the amount of the divorce settlement that can be obtained by the less wealthy spouse.

Source: The New York Times, “After 14 Years, Murdoch Files for Divorce From Third Wife,” Amy Chozick, June 13, 2013