As single men we are, by definition, clueless about a pretty vast array of subjects (women in general, cooking, emotional attachment, etc.) Of course, we’re completely mystified by the marriage thing.
One thing we are sure about is that many marriages don’t work. However, at that point, we enter another area of gross ignorance, and the subject of this Outrage, divorce law. (And no, it’s not true that we always write about subjects about which we’re completely ignorant. Just last December we wrote on a topic we knew something about. Not a lot, but something. Can’t quite remember what it was…)
In addition to our ceaseless quest for knowledge, we have another reason for picking divorce as the subject of this Outrage. Whenever we write a column like this one we get a lot of email from Outraged ladies that accuse us of being “misogynists”. Now we really have no idea what that word means, but, as pathetic single men, we’ll do pretty much anything to generate email from women – especially if they have names like Natalie, Dominique, Laura, etc. So we like getting the email. Of course, if you want us to have any idea what you’re talking about, you need to stick to words like “big, small, good, bad” – one-syllable words we can usually locate in our trusty Webster’s.
But enough about us – let’s talk about Phyllis Redstone. Mrs. Redstone just filed for divorce from her billionaire husband, Viacom boss Sumner Redstone. Mrs. Redstone is asking for $3 billion, and she may get it, as Massachusetts divorce law allows for equal division of marital property. Sumner Redstone is supposedly worth about $6 billion.
We assume that the Redstone’s marriage has never been a tranquil garden of marital bliss. The latest suit marks the 3rd time that Mrs. Redstone has filed for divorce from her husband of 52 years. The first suit was started and dropped in 1984. Number two was filed on November 12, 1993, and dropped 18 days later.
In suit number 3, Phyllis Redstone, 74, alleges that her husband, 76, has been cheating on her. She hired a private detective who supposedly produced pictures of her man with a 46 year-old unidentified woman in Paris and California. Mr. Redstone and the homebreaker were seen holding hands as they cavorted in the streets of Paris.
Mrs. Redstone could have taken a much more positive view of her husband’s extracurricular activities. She might be glad that her husband, at age 76, is still willing and, perhaps more surprisingly, able to philander.
In any event, Mrs. Redstone does not seem inclined to forgive and forget. So let’s talk about this matter of $3 billion. As usual, we don’t quite understand the inclination the law seems to have for taking money from people who have made it and giving money to people who haven’t made it.
It’s important for us to understand the upside of divorce law, as we happen to know of several healthy and wealthy single mothers who must be in need of a man in the house. Madonna, for instance. It so happens that we’re available. But we need a plan, and we don’t come cheap.
As far as we can figure, divorce law is based on the assumption that the non-income producing spouse is entitled to an equivalent lifestyle after a marriage ends. We take this to mean that if Madonna treats us nicely for a while, and then discards us, we get the big money in the divorce settlement.
On the other hand, if she feeds us cat food three times a day, then we’d have to moderate our demands?
After all, it’s hard to argue that you need a lot of money to continue to live a pathetic lifestyle. We kinda thought it might work best in the reverse way – the better you treated your spouse while you were married, the less your obligations would be once the marriage came to an end.
We’re just having a hard time seeing exactly what Mrs. Redstone did to earn $3 billion, or what she needs that much money for at this point. After all, even our friends at AnnuityNet.com don’t think you need $3 billion for a comfortable retirement.
We don’t know Mrs. Redstone, but it’s a pretty fair guess that her 52 years of marriage to Sumner Redstone have not been filled with unremitting toil. We’re willing to go out on a limb here and guess that she has lived a life filled with leisure and dream-like luxury. And because her husband has provided this lifestyle he now owes her $3 billion?
We’ve always thought an interesting way of analyzing divorce settlements would be to calculate how wealthy the spouse might be if they had not married Mr. or Mrs. Wrong. If Phyllis had never become Redstone, where would she be now, at age 76? What did she give up by marrying a man who put her firmly in the lap of luxury? Would she have created her own version of Viacom? Or would she be living in a trailer park? Or, worse yet, next door to us?
How about Soraya Khashoggi, Adnan Khashoggi’s ex? Did Soraya deserve the record $872 million she was granted in 1982 when she dumped the gunrunner?
How much did the lawyers make on that one?
But our favorite divorce case, and a fitting note on which to end this Outrage, is that of musician Mike Oldfield. He married the daughter of his therapy teacher in 1976. He had known Sarah for only 3 days, and married her because she refused to sleep with him until they were married. Four days after having met, they were married. The day following the night of the wedding, the couple decided they were incompatible and started divorce proceedings. Mike Oldfield ended up paying over $300,000 in alimony to a woman he had known for four days and been married to for one, obviously very
bad, day.
You’re missing the point with respect to the divorce request;
I can’t speak to Massachusetts exactly, but in many states, the law
treats a married couple as one person. As a result, each partner
owns half of the marital property.
So when the partnership splits, the marital property is split. 50/50.
It’s most often a matter of legislation, so if you don’t like the law,
change it. 🙂
Philo
My opinion: There is no mention of what Phyllis did to help
her husband through all their married years raising the
children, being a good supportive wife (which sometimes is a job in itself with
a lot of men), not to say anything about what she did for their business,
which is maybe more than anyone realizes. Remember, behind every good
man is a good woman. He is the one that cheated on her, not the other way
around. He lost his morals, she didn’t. Cheating on your spouse to me is one
of the worse things that a person can do.
You did say Viagracom, didn’t you?!?
divorce is an antiquated law that in most cases serves no purpose. the vast majority of women work now. the laws are from a period in time when the woman did not work. why pay a woman, why not got separate ways. i’m still paying and will be for the rest of my life to a woman that had her boyfriend send me overseas for a year then divorced me, taking everything i owned, taking my child, leaving me with all the bills, taking half of my retirement and sticking me with the lawyer bills, and why, because the laws are biased towards the poor helpless and defenseless weaker sex, pure bs. phyllis deserves what she walked into the marriage with.
Of course she is due everything she is asking for!!
He should have realized that the 47 yr old fluzzie he was getting it on with in Paris wouldn’t have come cheap in the long run!!
Interesting that the ONE comment glorifying the woman’s side, was FROM a woman. It figures.
She doesn’t mention WHY the man felt it was necessary to philander. Was the little woman
withholding the “candy” because he was not a “good little boy”?
Definitely the case in a LOT of marriages.Could it be that she feels it is necessary to have that much money, since she might have suffered from a plethora of “headaches”?
I guess it just goes to show how much the man’s brainless head is coached into these situations – yet we follow and return time after time – oh well life is grand – been there done that
What I want to know is what is Phyllis Redstone’s address and do you think she would like a mail in his forties? but only if she wins.
Mike Oldfield got what he deserved for thinking with the small head.
As to the rest, fair division of assets. I have a friend who has; by staying home as an agreement with her spouse, effectively killed her (prior to the children) career.
She manages the house on far lesss $ than if she worked, each day is actively mamaging their house & kids & life. She never pays full price for anything, She researches & they discuss & then a decision is reached. If they were to divorce she would be the primary care person & would require assistance.
How ever I see men lose custody & assets to wives who were neither career or family enhancing in their participation in the marriage.
The real answer is, it depends on the situation, there are no hard fast rukes for this & in trying to rectify some inequities the law is unfair. Then come the divorce lawyers who encourage the mess rather than negotiation & faor divisions. Now they should have some kind of review board routinely scrutinizing their work to see exactly what they are up to ( usually no good).
this is a little excessive 3 billion, i am sure one of them can learn to live a different life style, just like anyone else in america!!!
What’s equitable to Sumner? He’s got the 6b she’s got squat
at this point. She’s sure to live comforably for the rest of her
life, which could be short if she turns into a greedy bitch.
A private detective who “supposedly” produced pictures.
Not much of a private detective if the “homebreaker” is
unidentified. Nothing was said about her nefarious activities.
And yes, the divorce laws are biased toward women. A
friend of mine walked into and found his wife in bed with
another man, making love to another man in front of their
4 year old son. She filed for divorce, and was awarded
alimony, child support, one of the vehicles (he had to
continue making payments, and insurance.)
My wife left me, left my sons for 6 years, nobody knew
where she went, when she returned, I spent $30,000 trying
to maintain custody and lost it.
The old joke is, “I ain’t getting married no more, I’m just
going out every 3 or 4 years, find me a woman I hate, and
buy her a house.” pretty well sums up the unfairness of
the divorce laws in this country.
Shameless excess on the part of all concerned!!!
the adulterous partner should get less than the innocent one, but the reverse is almost always true. If theyr’e equally at fault, split the assets equally. It’s about time that this country returns to morality.
What Mrs. Redstone did to earn 3 billion dollars was to be married to anyone for 50+ years. That should qualify her for sainthood in any ones opinion.
I am old fashioned and I don’t think much of the liberation crap women are spewing these days. Unusual for a lady of 33. Anyway… Lets see… what does a good housekeeper make per hour/week/year… what does a good child care provider make??? What does a good hooker make? (or should I say cost?) What does a good companion make, you know, those people who get paid to hang out with someone. Then figure in how much mental stress/deress whatever that seeing pix of your hubby with the homewrecker causes (some kind of world wide scale of pain compensation needs to be devised) Anyway… point is.. add it all up.
NOW,(deducting of course things like… well if he wasn’t allowed acces to his wife one night and paid a hooker instead, or if she hired a housekeeper to do her work) Alright.. adding up all her contributions to the marriage, come up with a $ amount. Then deduct what she got… like free room and board, 50 some odd years of not having to worry about the water heater or the tires on the car. (that would be peace of mind or something like that) subtract the cost of all the diamonds (I am sure she has a collection going after that many years with a wealthy man!) Alright.. alright.. point is this.. add up her worth and contributions, subtract whatever she got over the years… and presto… you get a $ amount. NOW… I would like to think that this would be a even steven amount.. but I doupt it… I am guessing that the lady is going to end up oweing the guy quite a bit of dough!
My basic philosiphy is this, if you don’t want the guy anymore, why do you want his stuff… especially if lady’s are as equal as they say they are. I would like to go on record as being one of the few women who left the marriage without asking for a single thing! As a matter of fact, I left the guy with excatly what he had when we get married. and I took only what I had when we got married. (okay so we were not rich, and we were only married 9 months, no children) but still… the point is the one who wants out.. should be willing to walk away. Although.. I do see the “He hurt my feelings by screwing some chick in two seperate places… and there should be a sliding scale to say how much that is worth in dollars and cents to the injured person. My Grand Mem’ere (we are French and that means great grammy) said, It takes two to make or break a marriage. Very seldom is one person solely responcible… What did or didn’t this lady do in the marriage?? Did hubby go on Viagra and wife said, get off it old man, I did my time!?
Alright.. I know my two cents aren’t worth much.. especially in this day and age (the whole world has gone strange Martha! But I’ll save this thought for when the outrage is about children running amuck) Anyway.. sure my openion isn’t worth much, and I am sure all the ladies are going to be pi$$ed about it, but hey, if we are as equal as you like to think we are, get up off your butt and creat your own fortune! IF she was living as a good wife, cooking and cleaning and sewing, caring for the children day in day out… and he was a thoughtless bum who screwed around, though his loving wife was home with dinner waiting… then I might have some sympathy for her…. but I doubt I would ever feel 3 billion worth of sympathy! Lets face it, IF they have been together that long… I am guessing all the children are mutual and going to get it in the end anyway right? So all she really needs is enough money a week to live on… 3 billion devided by the number of months this lady has left on eath is a rediculously HUGE allowance!
Once married, two people should share the work and reap the benefits. Once divoced everything obtained durning the marriage should be sold off and split 50/50.
I will NEVER marry again. I dont think people understand the words… “For better or worse or till death do us part”.
1. The charges of adultery should be
proven, and if true, then the
two adulterers should be killed.
2. No divorce would be necessary then.
3. Allowing divorces, then we
must allow outragous “settlements”
such as $3billion buyouts.
I think the amount of money she is asking for is ridiculous.
They did have a partnership and she is now too old to go
work for retirement money, so I believe she is entitled to
some money. Especially if he’s the one cheating on her.
He destroyed the marriage, not her. Anyway, give her
half a million. That should be plenty if invested correctly.
When people enter into marriage it is a contract. After 52 years I believe she is due half of whatever is mutual property. After all, she was his wife, probably raised his children, ran his household, entertained his friends and business associates in fine style and in many ways helped him to make his fortune. Morally he is in the wrong. You opinion takes women back to the middle ages, when woman were no more than chatel. What do you care anyway??? No matter what, it’s their money.
I agree that it is an outrage! My ex gets half of my Federal retirement without spending a day doing the back-breaking work
Ok, I disagree. I think that if the other spouse, (man or woman) is caught cheating, the spouse they cheated on should get half of everything they have in a divorce. For emotional damage/
embarrassment.
Absolutely not! I am outraged at the Outrage writer for their chauvenistic view of women and men. If Mrs. Redstone isn’t entitled to the $3 billion then why should Mr. Redstone be entitled to twice as much?
She deserves every dime she gets after all she gave up her whole life for him and he in turn makes her feel like a piece of trash at an age when women feel abit “less then”.. He committed adultery on her and she should just sit back and let him have his play thing at the expense of $ 3 billion dollars…. i don’t feel the least bit sorry for the jerk.. Why do you????
There is a name for women who think having sex with a man is cause for asking for money: WHORE.
I’m a female, and men get a raw deal in divorce court. For one thing, why do women always
get custody when so many men are just as loving fathers as women are loving mothers? Is it
because it’s better to have a Mom struggling with a secretarial job than a father securely fixed
in a good job? As for finances, anybody in a divorce wants revenge. If the courts didn’t favor
women financially, many men would milk it for all it’s worth as well. Basically, if you commit
to a marriage and then back out, be prepared to pay for the undeserved privilege of ending your
contract, be you man or women, and forget about revenge–it doesn’t work.
Why do most of the women who post here assume that the woman in question did a damn thing in the marrige beside sit on her ass and soak up the rich man’s cash? This may or may not be the case, but please do not try to argue a point unless you know both sides. We know what he did: he built a huge company worth billions. We don’t know what she did.
Maybe she was supportive.
Maybe she took care of the children and entertained guests.
Maybe she is a paraniod, senile old woman who made this man’s life a living hell, and he didn’t want a divorce because he knew she would take half of his money so he put up with her crap.
My point is that no one posting here knows any facts about their relationship and should not assume that this woman was anything but a pampered, rich lady.
Daniel
I married a cuban girl and was so convinced – and I’m not one of these grandfathers that normally marry young girls over there. She turned out to be the most deceptive person I’ve ever seen and I mean you have no idea what I went through to get her here or how much I gave up. Then she wanted to be close to her family so I left my job and gave up my life for her and moved thousands of miles away . As soon as we arrived she said she wanted nothing more of the relationship and was telling me that she had lied to me from day one. She showed absolutely no remorse!! I am completely baffled and I know everyone says BE CAREFUL OF CUBANS CAUSE THEY ALL JUST WANT THERE TICKET OUT” but I have spent a considerable amount of time in cuba and I knew all of the girls that were interested in that – or I thought I did anyways. This girl was a virgin when we met and after we got married and I was back in my country doing everything in my power to get her here (and that wasn’t cheap either – but to me the money is of minimal importance overall) and she had been sleeping with another guy. this went on from just after we got married untill she arrived over here – that was one year. Then after she got here she behaved in a very disrespectful way and when I confronted her about it she would swear at me and threaten to move to be with friends or relatives . She wanted it her way – leaching from me untill I had very little left to give and then she did move in with a friend. This is a girl from cuba who had NOTHING and I gave her everything , dresses, expensive clothes , shoes , make-up, hair appointments, manicurists, etc. and that wasn’t sufficient for this poor girl from a hicktown in cuba. So the moral of this story is that sometimes even when you have what you think is a clear perception on a given situation, the very real threat of deception is still a possibility. Like I said I’ve spent alot of time in Cuba and I knew the girl for two years.
If she really loved Him, she would not want one penny of his money. She is being a selfish egotcentric woman who has one thing on here mind. MONEY
The main reason for so great a request is to pay the attorney’s 30 to 40% of the gross settlement.
Been there done that twice at a couple of hundred thousand each time all I got was bad credit, why get married?
I detest alimony but I think that equitable division is certainly warranted. I think you should be able to leave a marriage with what you came into it and half of what’s remaining. I would assume that after more than 50 years there’s nothing left og what you came into it with and you should get half, pure, plain, ans simple.
I don’t necessarily disagree with you (even though I’m a woman). $3B does seem rather excessive, but it’s difficult to tell without the whole story, which of course, no one will ever know (there’s always three sides to every divorse, his story, her story and the real story). As a person who grew up in a family torn apart by infidelity, I could certainly understand her desire to “make him pay through the nose”, if in fact he was cavorting with a 46 year old change of underwear. Unless you have lived through that kind of devastation in your marriage, you cannot understand what it does to you nor the extremes to which you are willing to go to seek retribution from the offending spouse. So I guess to sum up my opinion, it just depends…
Americans have no concept of marriage anymore. Living together and divorce have become common practice. Money is their only reason for living. Nothing else matters it seems anymore. Does cherish, love, honor, care for and being human ring a bell at all? I don’t think so. I’d have more respect for a lady that was born back when there was more awareness of the true priorities. Everyone is “outraged” because they envy and are greedy and their eyes pop at the sums of money involved. It’s greed and hypocritical stances on things Americans no longer care about. It’s not love, it’s sex — that’s their catchphrase and MONEY, always money.
No – It is not too much. She stood by him for 50+ years. She expected the same of him. All assets should be split 50/50 regardless.
I think people who get devorced should get out
of a marrage what they put into the marrage as far as
settlement. However if children are involved child support
should be paid to the parent who has custody. I think there
should be stiff laws against dead beat parents Men or women
It takes two to tango and one parent should not have all the
respondsability of raising children
Hmmm…for that matter, aren’t we missing the point? Isn’t this no-fault divorce b/s PRECISELY what allows this sort of nonsense to begin with? True, the wealthy hubby did play bedsheet bingo…still…3 mil for THAT? You’ve gotta be kidding. I may think corporate types are primordial slime, but u really gotta wonder when people can become independently wealthy by singing “d-i-v-o-r-c-e”.
First of all, please don’t get so cute about a perfectly fine word like
‘misogynist’. If a writer had called you ‘woman hater’, then you
would likely have mocked an imagined lack of vocabulary skill.
Some of your ‘rages’ lately have been silly sophistry like this.
Regarding whether you are one or not, I will reserve judgement.
Several other writers have already pointed out that the whole
point of 50-50 splits is the fact that we have no-fault divorce, and
the split is based on a supposed partnership over the life of the
marriage. You ask: ‘Where would she be today if…’, but that
can be turned around and asked: ‘Where would he be if…’.
I don’t know Sumner Redstone, but isn’t it possible that BECAUSE OF
Mrs. Redstone’s participation in the marriage that he is where
he is today? I don’t have as much as he does, but I’d have
no problem splitting what I do have with my ‘better half’ if it came
to that. Although she hasn’t put in a 40-hour week for more than
a few months at a time during our 17+ years together, I wouldn’t
have as much as I do have without her. Most happily married
men would be honest enough to admit that, I’m sure. (If a
husband is honest, I would be willing to bet that he is happy.
Those traits seem to go together, I’ve found.)
If you’re not married, and haven’t been, maybe you should
stick to raging about something that you know more about,
or something that your audience doesn’t know at all.
I don’t know the facts of the Redstone marriage any more
than you do, but I think I know more about marriage than you.
Have you ever printed a retraction? This might be a good time
to start.
Chris
The fact that Mr. Redstone is a wealthy, successful businessman DOES NOT mean that he is a nice, kind, rational, understanding, wonderful…anything. One might argue that Mrs. Redstone put up with the cheating #$%& for 52 years. Hard to say how much money that ought to be worth!
I am amused that poor dear Phyllis feels she needs 3 billion to live comfortably. Just how much comfort does one need? I am also amused at the “outrage” of some of the postings here about the old man’s adultery.
My God, we have an adulterer and a perjurer in the Whitehouse and nodoby cares, so what’s the big deal with old man Redstone?
Perhaps poor dear Phyllis was a miserable creature to live with and Redstone found solace elsewhere. We will never know. It seems however, some of those posting here are perfectly willing to condemn him, but get their collective feathers ruffled at any sugestion of impropriety in the part of Phyllis. Baloney!
No way is she “entitled” to 3 Billion dollars. Redstone can set her up in a house you and I could only dream about and pay her expenses – even give her 25,000 a month to blow on whatever she choses – maybe he “owes” her that, and maybe not.
But three billion? Give me a break…
Was Sarah Oldfield’s settlement based on the kind of
marital equity that’s going on in Massachusetts 23 years
later?<p>
You seem to be Outraged at the old alimony and “manner
to which she has become accustomed” rules, or some
other pooling of assets, which is not present here.<p>
While Mrs. Redstone is alleging adultery, she is apparently,
as others have pointed out, suing for a no-fault divorce.<p>
What’s fair? I don’t know, but I’m a lot more comfortable with
an even split of the partnership than the alternative, which is
that the money follows in whose name it was earned, or in whose
name it was kept.<p>
Mrs. Redstone’s two retractions of prior divorce attempts show
only that she does take marriage seriously, and does not take
divorce lightly. Were she in it for the money she would have taken
it and ran when it reached $5 Billion.<p>
If Sumner had wanted a better deal, he should have made a
pre-nuptial contract, or hired a mistress at far less than
$100 Million per year.<p>
As others said, how much of the $6 Billion is from Sumner,
how much would it have been from anyone with Mrs. Redstone
at home (there’s that joke about the Clintons getting gas at
a station attended by an ex-boyfriend of Hillary) and how much
is just luck?<p>
(BTW, I’m sole breadwinner for a family of myself, my spouse,
and three children. I think my support is a large part of what
induced her to give up her career to bear and raise our children.)
Do the Redstones have any children? Would they like to adopt
anyone? I’m in good health and I would not be a burden. I’m available
for adoption and will give a sympathetic ear and warm affection. I can
contacted at the above referenced e-mail address if either Mr. or Mrs.
Redstone needs my affection.
As a woman, I suppose I represent a minority in this issue.
it is my opinion that women are too greedy-grabby when it
comes to divorce. And yes, I am divorced. when my ex and I
called it quits, we divided what we had acquired together equally
and went our separate ways. So I don’t understand all the hoo-ha
about getting “her fair share”. My fair share was a truck payment
I couldn’t afford and two credit cards that were maxed out.
I even took care of his stupid fish until he could come get
them…and he got my fish tank! So I think that 3 billion is a
little excessive. I understand that maybe she cannot support
herself…after all, I’m sure that she hasn’t been in the work
force in the last few decades. And probably doesn’t qualify
for SS benifits. But 3 billion?! Are there any children?
Are they to be provided for? Do they need the money?
I can see providing for her final years but I’m with you…
I could retire on WAYS less and be comfortable for the rest of my
life and I’m only 30!!! Yes, it’s excessive. It’s ridiculous!!!
I think the old man owes her some money, enough to live on well, but what 74 year old needs 3 billion. As for the adultery, I don’t know the details, but since when is photos of man holding a woman’s hand adequate evidence of adultery. I don’t believe in women in a divorce getting nothing, and in most cases half is pretty fair, but in situations like this, it’s not like he’s leaving her broke on the side of the road. I can’t imagine what she would do with 3 billion, for that matter I can’t imagine what he would do with even 3 billion, but it’s the principle of the thing, your fair share should be, if at all possible, enough to live comfortably on. No one needs 3 billion. My opinion on the issue is that each of them should get 1 billion and they should then send the remaining 4 to me. (j/k)
As for Mike this should stand as a shining example, that marrying a girl is not one of the things you should resort to to get in a girls pants.
There is a contract offered for you to sign. You are not
privy to the terms of this contract unless you are a lawyer
specializing in such. Furthermore, the terms of this
device are different in the different states. . .AND the
terms may change (and ARE changed) over time and/or
court opinions. . .This contract is BINDING!. . .
Will you sign it?
This contract is called A MARRIAGE LICENSE!
No wonder fewer and fewer people are getting married.
The one who has the greatest earning potential isn’t going
to risk the inequity of such a proposed distribution as this, should the marriage founder.
In the end, what a shame for society, this “entitlement” thinking.
I DONT BELEIVE IN ALIMONY WHAT YOU EARN SHOULD BE YOURS AND NOT HANDED OVER TO SOMEBODY WHO DIDDNT EARN IT SHE NEED TO GET A JOB AND FIND OUT WHAT MONEY IS REALLY ABOUT
It is simple. All women are prostitutes.. Some walk the street.. some marry rich men. We all have our price. Remember.. If a women did not have a vagina..what the sense in even talking to them.
I think that since women want to be set “equal” to men, they should stop complaining and start doing some work, I am sure Ms Redstone didn’t put in 1 hour of work in the 52 year marriage. She should only leave with what she came with
That’s why they call divorce the screwing you get for the screwing you got.
Having firsthand experience of divorce procedures and injustices, the following points NEED to be considered by divorce courts and the judges who rule on them if this system is to be deemed as “justice”.
The amount of alimoney should be calculated on the “real” effort that a woman has contributed to the success of her ex-husband’s efforts, and also the effect of her lack of support of the husbands endeavors
to provide for her (and family) a comfortable lifestyle. The amount of hinderance such as continual nagging and conserted effort to demoralize the husband should be considered and discounted from the amount awarded.
In some cases this would often mean that the wife would be paying the husband for all the “damage” done by her actions of undermining the succes of the husbands efforts.
Lewis Grizzard:
“I don’t think I’ll get married again. I’ll just find a woman I don’t like and give her a house.”
http://www.michaelmbates.com
Re: Redstone divorce…
IMHO, this kind of “unmarital” difficulty has a lot more
to do with power (money=power) than it does with
relationships.
kh
I think the whole concept of marrage is outdated. At one point in time it served as a bond for the guys who work to support the women who didn’t. Now it is just a way to get yourself screwed out of house and home. And just as stated above, divorce would fall into that category also since it is a product of marrage. If she helped make that 6 billion made, then she should get half. But if she didn’t, no. Child rearing is a job, but since you are supposed to be raising that child for his own sake and not for yours (Here’s how it goes, “I want children.” Let’s try this approach, “I want another person to go through everything I went through, only harder because I have made it that much harder to do anything because I vote for people that make stricter laws, and I want them around so THEY can enjoy it.”) She should get enough to survive on. I’m thinking something around 25 grand from that 6 billion. since she is 74(?) she should be able to make that last since she probably isn’t caring for shildren. and women that are still don’t get half, they get enough to feed and clothe the child (about 2/3 of food & clothing and education) and the rest is up to whomever has the child with them, lodging, the other 1/3 of the child’s expenses, and their own food and clothing. If that doesn’t sound good enough, then don’t get married, don’t have kids (please don’t have kids, optimal earth capacity is 2 billion, we should be at 12 billion by 2050.). ok, i am losing my train of thought (i am at work) and am starting to ramble. =8^) I don’t hate women, I have a girlfriend who I plan on staying with forever, I just don’t feel that paper is the best way to show that.
For every complex problem someone has a simple solution that
won’t work. Virtually every situation should be judged on it’s own
merits and as several have pointed out, we don’t really know
the details in this one. In my case, I am fairly well off financially
but if it weren’t for my wife’s influence I would still have to get
a co-signer for my lunch as I did when I met her. On the other
hand I know of some men whose wives keep them broke all
the time.
dIVORCE SETTLEMENTS SUCK. iF THE WOMAN HAS THE BUCKS, THE COURT SIDE WITH HER. IF THE GUY HAS THE BUCKS, HE LOSES GENERALLY. PRENUPTS DO WORK, IF THEY ARE PREPARED CORRECLY. MAYBE THEY NEED TO BE MANDATORY FOR ALL.
I just wanted to reply to Carl Cleagu’s e-mail to u guys. Scroll up, you’ll see it. It’s like the 10th one from the top. Anyway Mr. Cleagu you obviously will never have to worry about getting a divorce, because no woman would ever want to marry you with an attitdue like that. And further more you;d be surprised how many men have there price to, I can get any man I want if I were willing to sleep with them all. Ok, one more thing: I only talk to men because they have a penis, hey I mean it’s almost as good as having a brain. Later.
You completely overlook the contribution that long-term wives make to their husband’s careers. I saw this very much in my parents’ marriage (which is still going strong.)My dad relied on my mom for so many things, all of which ended up enhancing his career. Her “job” was making sure his children were safe, fed, transported and happy. I am reasonably sure that she actually worked harder than he did, but the result was a very nice income for both of them. My father always said if they ever divorced that half was the MINIMUM she was entitled to.
dear mr. Carl Cleagu;
although your mother may have been a prostitute, not all woman are.
I wants to marriage who is divorse
My name is Farrukh and 5-9″ tall.
If interested email me.
why don’t you talk to your ex husband or ex wife about how you feel.
As I read these comments, I see a familiar pattern: people using an issue like this to project their own pain. I agree with the logical conclusion drawn by some, that we have no idea what these people did and did not do. However, this goes both ways. They could both have been jerks, using and abusing each other and everyone else. Sometimes victims are abusers too. She could have been cold, but that doesn’t justify philandering. He could have got a divorce and then found whomever he wanted. She might have still sued, but people with money have ways of hiding it and in situations like this and they often do. She might have been a good wife/ homemaker or organizer, or maybe a spoiled drain on his assests. There’s no telling. They’ll each say opposites. He could have been abusive or even just cold and unappreciative, which is its own form of abuse when endured endlessly. One thing that troubles me is that we are avoiding an important issue: the traditional roles of women are entirely devalued. Caregivers, it is true, make much less than the billions at stake here, but should they? Should uncaring cutthroats be valued more than those who care for children and homes? It is precisely because we devalue this as a society that these things are at issue at all. In a fair system, families would decide who works for money and who works for other benefits and then the assests would be devided each week as they would be in a company. The sales team in any company has to bring in the money but honey, the production team still gets paid or there’s nothing to sell. A good CEO knows how to keep loyal, hardworking employees happily on board and the whole organization running smoothly. Unfortunately, we don’t often take these understandings of power issues into our families. No one would need divorce settlements if homemaking and organizing, childcare and care of the elderly were positions that were valued and even paid for. Maybe they can’t be, and it even offends a part of me to think of these gifts as being marketable, but until we at least value them in an abstract way, these disagreements continue. When I divorced, my concern was for everyone involved. I wanted to be able to become self-sufficient, to not interupt my ex husbands chances for future success and for the children to feel the least amount of effect possible. With this perspective in mind, together we crafted an agreement that suited us all with equal value. We couldn’t work together in a marriage and there were some bitter and resentful feelings, but as adults, we knew that by looking out for the well being of everyone involved, we would help ourselves as well. Why do so few people see this obvious truth?
my ex wife sexual molelested my so -5 counts indicted by grand jury–still got costody of two younger girls
I,m outraged at the women who get to stay home , myself being a working mom housewife for 36 years with a pension and survivor benefits , who was the sole provider for many years so he could get a degree and a better job, I want a fair and equitable settlement, not be punished so the other woman who committed adultry agains’t her husband and stayed home can reap the benefits of my hard work.
Well I think in Mrs. Redstone’s case it would depend on who made the money, what kind of investments,and how much she was involved in Mr. Restone’s business. If he had some money and made more as time went along and she was just living high on the hog well it would be a different deal. Give her a nice house, a car and about 10 million and if she can’t get by on that well too bad. Ha!
I’m sure you’ve heard this by now, but the argument of equitable sharing of worth in case of a divorce comes with the idea that the non-working partner actually has contributed.
Take, for example, my own mother, who prepared economical meals; made, mended and altered us kids’ clothing, and often helped my father with paperwork, etc., relieving him of the need for extra secretarial help. If they divorced, I would argue any day that she had contributed positively to that worth, and was entitled to her half.
Of course, if my father had not had a wife (but spontaneously generated two children — hey, coulda happened, we were both adopted), but had hired the services of a cook, maid, seamstress and secretary, I dare suggest he would have been spending a lot more than half his income (he was a school principal).
If a woman marries a rich guy and does nothing but suck up the designer clothes while a maid cleans a house and a nanny raises the kids — I dunno. I mean, on the one hand, she does have an expectation of being taken care of… on the other hand she might be divorcing him because she could get more dough that way than when he is controlling the checkbook!
Anybody can be cynical. I guess I’m saying you guys took a cheap, easy shot on this one. You’re going to have to work harder to make me mad!
Just a quick point on divorce law: besides the idea of
allowing the spouse to live as they were accustomed to
during the marriage, there is also the belief that both
husband and wife contribute equally to each other’s
success, whether via encouragement, assisting in work,
and so on. Which is another reason money is split, because
the “non-earning” spouse helped earn it.
As a further point: if Redstone was cheating on her, we would
want her to get some sort of compensation, whether as
punishment for him or comfort for her.
NO way should she get that much! How ridiculous! I hope
he keeps the money, but loses the house to her and 57 of her closest cats!
I beleive that marriage is a joining of two people forever. Unlike SOME morons who beleive that marriage is about money or convenience or just a way to convince someone it’s ok to sleep with you. When someone breaks their wedding vows, they should hand everything they own, along with thier own life over to their spouse. I think Mr. Redstone should hand his wife his nuts on a platter. Pull your heads out of your asses.
To the dumbass, Steve (notgiven@hotmail.com), did you happen to read the article long enough to notice who FILED the divorce papers (3 times)??? Of course not. You dimwit.
Consider the person (man or woman) who immerses themselves in work as a refuge from a bad homelife. They may be successful and then become a ripe financial target. Although it takes two to solve the problem, if only one wants to do so, it is very difficult to reach an amicable solution. In this case we know little about why over 52 years each has become angry with the other and, the lawyers willing, we never will.
You leave the marriage with what you entered into it with,
plus with what you helped earn. In other words, Mrs Redstone
should leave with what she came with, plus any, (if any) money
she helped Mr Redstone earn. If she didn’t help, she doesn’t
get. This is what I did, and I felt GREAT. No obligations, no
hurt feelings, no guilt……..
This Post is for: Amelia (akeyorkie@webtv.net
Your ex-husband was a jerk and probbaly mistreated you… but to thnk that all men are only out to use, abuse, and lose the women they marry only serves to prove how pathetically you’ve adapted to a bad decision when you were younger that cost you 25 years. If it was so terrible, why didn’t you leave earlier?
I’m married and I worship my wife. And, if I was ever mean in any way to her for more than maybe a week she would move out. Six months later, (if I hadn’t woken up), I’m sure divorce papers would be filed and in 25 years I would be a bad chapter. You on the other hand wasted, (as you refer to it), your youth ansd beauty. Stop crying whining and whimpering. You’re another frigging feminist that while crying out for equality, demands the lions share of everything excluding responsibility then cres some more when you’re actually treated as an equal and not with kid gloves.
What if the roles were reversed and Mrs. Redstone had the money and Mr. Redstone sued for that amount? What would you say then? I would bet money that you would be cheering her on in saying Go to hell and hoping he rots in hell for having the gall to be the one to file the divorce paperwork.
You disgust me.
Yes she is asking way too much. First of all I would like to point out that Mr. Viacom doesn’t have 6 billion dollars. He has assets that are worth 6 billion (which includeds his stock in Viacom) but he doesn’t have 6 billion to divey up. The same is said for Bill Gates. He is worth a hundred billion dollard, yet if his wife were to break up with him and ask for half of those asest she would be asking for 50 billon dollars. that amount of money doesn’t exist. she would be geiven half of his stock in Microsoft. this significantly large chunk of microsoft allows her a place on the board of the company thus putting her in direct contace with the very man that she wishes to get away from, Bill gates, the head of Microsoft. If mrs. Gates decided that she wanted to sell her shares it would crush the economy and probably end with some kind of apocalyps or another. The sme ideas apply with This Viacom deal but on a bit of a larger scale.
-james
its crap that she should get so much money, and even crappier that she should even presume to ask. it seems that by asking for that much, we can tell that all she really wants out of this divorce is the cash, not the separation. i agree with whomever wrote the outrage bit originally. if he provided so well for her in marriage, why on earth should he be required to give her half of his net worth (cold flat one-time payment) plus be denied of her company in marriage, which he apparently doesnt think is so bad? perhaps he should have filed a prenup, or something. but moeny issues and marriage dont usually jive well together, so what can a guy do? smack the bitch and give her a 100 million. she’ll take it, and he still has 59 times that amount left over (do the math, it works out.)
ok… i just read the comment directly below my first one, and it referred to amelia, so i scrolled on down to read amelia’s response. now i have to rage. you stupid evil self-serving whore! how could you say that she is entitled to demand 3 billion dollars from a man who has worked those 50-odd years to earn it. granted, not everyone comes out 6billion ahead after working that long, but the man did his job, and did it well. now SHE files divorce papers, and SHE demands the cold cash from the guy, when all she’s got against him is a picture of him holding hands with some chick? how many things are wrong with this picture? lets see… first, there are plenty of legitimate reasons for him to be holding the hand of this woman. its a sign of affection between friends and acquaintances in a whole bunch of different cultures, one that is embraced by many americans as well. second, he isn’t dropping her, as far as we knew, he was planning on sticking out his last years with her, providing the lifestyle she has come to depend so readily on, all out of his sheer will to stay married, if nothing else. if she wants out, then get out, but you get the cash with the man, otherwise, deal with it. third, whats with assuming that all men are out to use and abuse women and then find the next pretty thing once the wife has gotten old and grey? maybe it is something we see a lot in our culture’s public media, but the statistics dont support such notions. and to assume such a reason as this is to simplify a marriage relationship to a ‘what do i get out of it?’ mentality, which is simply not fair to do, especially to some other bloke who you don’t even know, and especially because maybe thats what happened to you. third of all, if she gets 3 bil., then how the heck do justify your claim that she should get ALIMONY and INSURANCE PLANS as well? is the 3 bil. not enough to cover that? perhaps we need to think about what marriage means, and what divorce means in that context, instead of presuming to know worth a crap what people should ‘get’ out of a divorce. they are ‘getting’ the freedom from the marriage contract, and the freedom to marry again legally, and the freedom to no longer have to depend on the jerk, should he turn out to be the bum you preume he is. get over your bitter self, and move on…
i don’t see why any 72 yr old needs $3 billion.
find something useful to do with the money, like give some to me
Let’s get real here. For three billion dollars I’d hold hands and cavort thorough Paris with the guy. And I’m a guy, and not even a gay guy. I’d let him do me on a Mardi Gras float on Fat Tuesday with neon arrows pointing at us that said “look!” Okay, some of you out there can call me a whore, a money grubber, and some of you may even call me BAD names. My point is, we’re all whores when it comes to three BILLION dollars (not you? sorry. She just happens to have been married to her long term customer and wants her payup. So would I. So would you. She doesn’t deserve it, but, who does?
I’m not sure how much it’s worth spending 52 years with Mr. Redstone, but I’m confident it’s a lot! Lawyers ask for 50/50 splits, usually fair for most couples. It does seem she could eke out a life on only 1 billion or so. Sigh….Don’t you wish you were rich enough to have this particular problem?
Heidi (tarabarat@yahoo.com) Time: 9/29/99 (13:8:4) has class … something that appears lacking in the Redstones.
American’s are stupid. Haven’t you people figured that out yet. Why would anyone try to justify having 6 Billion let alone getting half off their cheating spouse. No one that rich earned all that money anyway!
Commies Will Rule the World
As someone who nearly escaped the horrors of paying alimony to my ex-husband (an able bodied man, whom I financially supported until he completed his master’s degree), I can easily and readily understand the rage that a lot of men feel about the division of assets at the termination of the marriage relationship.
Things would be so much easier in this country, if only we were to go back to the practice of arranged marriages. You didn’t marry for love or fulfillment or any of those ridiculous things. Sure, women were chattel in such arrangements, but gee, you know it was so much simpler then. You had other wives to hang with and go to the river to bat clothes on a rock, while the mutual husband was out hunting for weeks on end. What could be a better existence than that?
I have been told by my east Indian acquaintances that many arranged marriages were (and are) successful. (Well, I do think the penalty of stoning in the event of adultery or divorce is a mighty fine incentive to stay together under most circumstances.)
But now people want to be happy and fulfilled and entertained! All of the time! Under any circumstances! This is not the proper mindset, ladies and gentlemen for marriage.
Marriage is chain-gang style hard work now-a-days, if only because of all of this damn negotiation and discussion of feelings, and re-routing of traditional sex roles.
Yuck. My ex-husband divorced me because he said I was too conservative, too “male identified”, and I had started to read the Bible and hang around with evangelical Christians.
I was relieved to be divorced by my ex because he was such a darn wuss about everything. It was such a pain in the asp when he would start to cry to get his way and yell at me about how I didn’t suppport him in his expression of feelings. Especially when his feelings were about getting a part-time job to supplement the family income.
Shudder!
As to Mrs. Redstone who is asking for $3 Bil. That’s the lawyer’s talking. Is the divorce occurring in a community property state? If so, 50/50 is the way it goes with all of the martial assets whether the spouse supposedly earned them or not. I do not believe that this was a big feminazi thing to have community property as much as I think it was a victory for divorce lawyers.
Do I think it is unfair for Mr. Redstone to fork over half of his dough? Sure I do. On the other hand, at that level of wealth, what difference does it make if it’s 1 billion or 3? If Mr. Redstone is so unhappy in his marriage that he cavorts openly with his mistress, he should know that he is risking his fortune when engaging in this behavior. If this lady has him in such a spell, then maybe his freedom from the evil Mrs. Redstone, would be worth every penny.
On the other hand, should 1 or 2 affairs in the course of a marriage of 52 years really make that much of a difference to Mrs. Redstone?
I think Mrs. Redstone should simply retaliate, sell a few paintings from the ranch, rent a cottage in New Mexico take up painting and have a nice young 50 year old boy-toy to take care of her needs.
And continue to contest the divorce in perpetuity.
If I had to do my divorce all over again, I would have contested every single dot and tittle, instead of signing off on the decree so quickly just to get everything over with.
One of the joys for the respondent (who is the one being divorced from, in my divorce it was me almost always the male in the marriage) of divorce is to make the petitioner (who is usually the woman who initiates the divorce) suffer.
The other option is to be very nice to Mr. Redstone, have him behave badly for awhile, then wait until he comes back, only to have him “knocked off” mafia-style, or die “mysteriously and suddenly” and hopefully collect the whole of his estate.
By the time Mrs. Redstone would be caught for murder, she would be too old to suffer too long in prison, and would probably be dead before all of her appeals would be exhausted.
Even so, I think that would be a far more honorable way to get even with a cheating spouse.
Think about it.
I think that at least, the couple’s money should be divided equally, if not more to the parent who gets custody of the children.
What makes Mrs. Redstone deserve billions more then any
other wife who’s husband cheated on her? Sure, she could’ve
been an amazingly valuable wife, sticking with Mr. Redstone
and aiding him in every way all though life, but with this being
the third time she’s filed for divorce, I’m guessing she’s just
a trophy wife with delusions of grandure. Should she get a fair
sum? Yes. Should she get 3 billion? Hell no.
SIMPLE AND CHEP; MAID, CALL GIRL ACCOUNTANT AND LAWER. ALL PAID FOR SERVICES AND CAN BE TERMINATED ANY TIME.
Mrs. Redstone should leave with all her personal savings and earnings from the marriage.She did have a job, didn’t she?
Alimony, yes she deserves, but 3 million??? I dun get it, if the love between 2 people are gone, why do the richer has to give up half his worth to get rid of the other???
Why don’t you try giving half the company to every employee you fire??
Make sense??
I agree with you completely. I wish you would email this to that poor man’s lawyers. Be sure to make note that with out his money, she probably would not have been able to afford the private dic. she got to spy on him.
First of all a masogonyst is a woman hater.Book by DR Susan Forward, men who hate woman and the woman who love them. it is not anti male.
2nd U don’t seem to give woman any credit for their management abilities.Wife , mother ,nurse ,homemaking. grocery shoping . banking etc Is that all part of the male ego or what? There are so many masoginyst thing that men think are macho it really isn’t. u should really look into itAnd didn’t you ever hear the expression behind every successfull man there is usually a good woman.
No, I do not think Phyllis is asking for too much money. Marriage is a contract…a legal contract. One of the stipulations (among other things) is fidelity. To be unfaithful to one’s spouse means to break the contract. When two business entities break a contract, the offended business usually sues the other and wins a large sum in damages. The same thing happens when an individual enters into a contract with a business and the business breaks promises…the individual can usually gain a large sum of money in punitive damages. I believe in marriage and after 52 years (or whatever it is) of marriage, she has probably hosted countless “events” of entertainment for his clients and business associates, cared for and managed the household and raised their children (if any). I am young and have only been married a few years, but I believe in my marriage contract and covenant (yes, even the part about obeying your husband — don’t shoot me ladies). I care for our household, put makeup on and look pretty before he gets home, take care of our kids, keep my body in tiptop shape, cook every night for him, give him a backrub complete with oil upon request, and I make love to him almost anytime he wants to (barring monthly feminine unmentionables). In return, he supports me, remembers our anniversary, my birthday, mother’s day, and other things. He treats me with respect and dignity, listens to my opinion but gives the final word (which I in turn respect) on large family decisions. If I caught him cheating, I would want half of his earnings because I have put off my professional career, let my skills fall to the wayside in order to make his life and my life and our kids’ life wonderful. I am performing a job here and if the contract is broken, I demand payment.
I am not surprised by the ignorance of this mans point of view. The one main point he is missing is that marriage is a partnership. If any business was to fold, wouldn’t one partner have to buy out another? It is my understanding that depending on the value of the company, is what the buy out would cost. Whether it is a man or a woman divorcing, especially with many years involved, the person being divorced is entitled to half the worth of the person divorcing them. Yes I am from Massachusetts, and no I’m not divorced, in fact quite the opposite, very happily married. The point that you are missing is MOST of the time the person who didn’t so called contribute financially, in fact did. If you are a stay at home contributer, whether you have money or not, you enable the other person to do the things to be done to make a living. It is a fact that successful people have someone behind them helping them get there. So before you blow your steam, please look at all the sides of the story.
This is for the statement made by PAKWPF@aol.com You stated that if a business folds one partner has to buy out the other or something along those lines, and that is correct, HOWEVER normaly don’t both partners contribute to the business? Did Mrs. Greed contribute the other 30 Billion dollars that she is looking to purchase? Heck no, she did nothing I am sure maybe give him moral support here and there. So no in my opinion she does not deserve all that money, I think she deserves something, but HALF?? Come now get real
To Samantha (skz@stolt.com);
To say that this is a working partnership, and if one end of the duo breaks the contract, you ‘demand payment’ for services rendered… it leaves me confused.
The Japanese called ‘entertainers for pay’ the geisha. Americans call them prostitutes.
You have boiled the entire marriage agreement into a business arrangement. “I will cook, clean, raise kids, and make hot monkey love as well as give up my career goals, my ambition to find a more suitable mate as well as my name. In return you will provide me with satisfaction, a sense of belonging, a source of income, and a name that I am only part of by accident. If you break your end of the bargain, I will get half of the things that you have worked so hard in your life for- all in an apparent attempt to keep me happy.”
Puh-leeze. And if the the Mrs isn’t happy, she can still file for divorce, claiming ‘irreconcilable differences’ and still get half.
What all does the Mrs have of her own? Does the Mr get half of that? Dollars to donuts that he doesn’t!
Just my two cents.
Prostituting myself in Cleveland
IN the case of the divorce of Mrs. Phyliss Redstone of Viacom fame, as they’d been married for 52 years it would be fair to assume that mr. Redstone was not a rich man at the time of their marriage and as in most of these cases. Mrs. redstone stayed home to raise the family while Mr. Redstone proceeded to earn THEIR fortune. In this particular case, Mrs. Redstone is indeed entitled to half of his wealth. After 52 years of marriage, she’s earned it as much as he has. As for other divorce cases, each instance must be judged on it’s own merits.
This is to MOT(talon6@mailcity.com)
I can see your point and have heard that argument many times before. However, you nor I fit the accepted definition of prositute just because we stay home (if you do) and attempt to carve out a happy life for our families. A prostitute sleeps with many different men and even a “kept woman” doesn’t get the man’s name nor does she have any recourse in the event of abuse, infidelity, whatever. I can only speak for myself when I say that what I do is an occupation and that my kids are the most important things in our lives. I do not feel that forgoeing a career on the outside to take care of my children properly, etc. is a huge sacrifice. I merely am saying that since I have done what I feel is the “right thing” by my children and my husband, if my hubby decides to trade me in or to simply “fool around” with another version, I need recourse since I will not be able to get the job or have the income I COULD have had I worked 40 or more hours per week, let a nanny raise my kids, and been too tired for hot monkey love with him. The “half” miss Phyllis is asking for seems like an outrageous amount to us b/c I doubt any of us have 6 billion in assets. But if we have 50,000 in assets and have to split it upon divorce it is fair. Everything is relative. I work hard with what I do….as hard or harder than I worked when I have a booming career on the outside (pre-kids). Besides, I have a feeling she is asking for a whole Hell of a lot more than she really expects to get. It’s like when you go to sell a car. You may ask 6,000 but only expect to REALLY get 4,000. Know what I mean? We really can’t judge her motives because we are not close friends of hers or his and do not really know the whole story even though the press wants us to think that they tell us EVERYTHING.
Mrs Redstone is out of her mind. Perhaps she should
get out of her bed and get in bed with her husband. This
might eleivate her situtation.
Huzzah to the Outragers!
Point the First: I am REAL SURE Phyllis worked her ass off raising those kids. The most she would have done, if she even did anything, would be to sign the check to pay the nanny.
Point the Second: Half. To quote Eddie Murphy, if you had $5, and it was all you had in the whole world, and someone made you give up $2.50, you’d be darn mad. Furthermore, Mr. Murphy states (in a surprisingly concise and knowledgeable manner) that there is very little that a woman could do to deserve an outrageous sum like $3 billion. Please reference “Raw.”
Thank you.
That is all.
Women have ALL the power in our marital/sexual political culture, but women’s groups and media continue to portray women as victims. How can “anyone” be rewarded for what they “might” have done. “They” choose to stay home with the kids, and then if things fall apart, feel they should be financially rewarded for an infinite number of potential alternate choices. Nobody…but nobody, can predict what “might” have happened if they had chosen to do “something else”. I’ve always wanted to stay home, but my wife won’t let me! Maybe she owes me for all of those “lost” moments with my children!
I was married and divorced and got half. Half of all the debt. It goes both ways.
suck it
willie smells
your mas a man your dads a woman you have no friends and were born in a cad.
My three comments are:
1) The women in the above marriage arrangements most likely gave up the right to a career, and along with it, the right to earn their own money (with the exception of example #3) in order to support their husband as he made his way up the corporate ladder.
2) When a woman is able to earn as much as a man and is not subject to discrimination which prevents her from reaching the top in the workplace as easily as a man, I will agree with you that things should change.
3) When women and men share equally in maintaining the household, and performing household chores (including entertaining), I will agree with you that things should change.
I suppose it never occurred to anyone in outrage that Mr Rnever wanted nor even allowed his wife of 52 years to work outside the home so she most likely never learned a trade or had a carreer of her own. And even if she did, it would be too late to pursue it now. She most probably had his children, stayed home and took care of them while he played Mr Important.
Yes, she most certainly is entittled to the lifestyle she has become accustomed to and has likely suffered years of agony for.Get over it!
Oh for God’s sake stop whinning, the woman is a genieus. She is about to leave a marriage with a billionaire who she no longer even likes and she’s about to possibly make $3 billion. If I could do that I would, and you know what else I’d laugh my ass off afterwards. Oh, and by the way did any of you think about the fact that her husband will still be worth $3 billion, what in the name of God could he want that $3 billion won’t cover, I mean really my heart bleeds for him.
She deserves it. They have been married over 50 yrs. In the divorce they both win. She gets half the money and he gets half–in addition to a younger woman.
Redstone, hmm?
Something Jewish about the name…It seems like one lizard is bleeding the other lizard. I don’t think that the female lizard is entitled to 3,ooo,ooo,ooo spon’s. The figure should be one that is sufficient to provide for a comfortable lifestyle, but not a luxurious one. In this case, the male of the species hunted the dosh with his cohorts, so at least he is in possession of it, and should keep the vast part of it.
I just hope that the money will be used to do good things in the US when his estate is tax after his terribly unfortunate demise (but I don’t think so.)
Try spelling what you have to say properly!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With $6 billion you’d think he could afford to have her killed.
I believe that when two people enter into a marriage that they become one… No one states whether or not she was a dutiful wife or how she supported her spouse from the inside of their relationship. If the Mr. broke the vows then indeed she after devoting her entire life to this man and you have to admit 52 years of marriage means something had to be given. How much? I would say depends upon the whole two sides of the story.If the law states this is how it will be if it ends, and you enter into marriage then so be it.
i do not know whether women think that anyone who isn’t telling their story is a misogynist.i don’t really care. most of u out there have heard the saying “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”,well whoever coined it musta had a crystal ball which showed him the future. women have gotten bolder in their clamour for what most of them didn’t work for. this woman was most probably mr.r’s wife in name only.she didn’t marry him when he was threadbare so those crap stories about work ,children and the like are balderdash. the truth is she feels very bad about his affair( which i by no means support).if she wins all that money ,it will be because the judge will be blind to the truth.
WARNING TO ALL MEN!!!……
do not close your eyes to the character of the woman that you are marrying especially if udon’t intend to die poor.
mrs.r would have showed what she wuz capable of early on.however no responsible man would keep a mistress, let alone in public glare.
summary : its a terrible thing to work so hard and lose it all to a sponge but the truth is mr.r’s reward is being partly received on earth.i will never write in again to express my op. on stuff like this.people get a life.
NO!!!!
I have 1 word gentlemen: Pre-nup.
i have been in many relationships with what i like to call black widows…mrs.r is one of them just look at the proof,
1)she tried twice before but backed out,that can mean two things a- she still loved him or the more probable b- he talked her out of it or disproved whatever evidence she might have had
2)the fact that she wont settle with the comfort of having a nice life (no no she wants all this money that she knows she wont be able to spend before her death and that she also knows that she did not earn a single dime)tells me that she has been wanting this money for some time.
this is greed people plain and simple and i cheer mr.r for screwing up her scam for so many years
I mostly agre that these gold digging bitches are getting
too much when the man looses about 75% of everything
he has worked for. He never gets custody of the kids
and on top of this he alone has to support them. They
are OUR kids, not MY or YOUR kids, meaning that the
woman is always excused from any financial support.
My favorite gold digging slut is Jackie Onassis. This useless bitch left a $200 million dollar fortune when she died; while almost never having worked a day in her life, while having lived in the lap of luxury. She had a part-time, low paying, three day a week job for the doubleday company. She also worked briefly as a photographer. Will somebody please explain how she could possibly believe that what was between her legs was worth $200 million? She ripped off every man she was ever with. When it came time for her divorce from A. Onassis, she was offered $5 million for her short term marriage. She refused and demanded $20 million! She got it! After Onassis she started a relationship with the diamond king Templeton. Again living in absolute luxury and never having paid a bill in her life. That`s how.
Anybody that thinks that divorce settlements are 50/50
is an idiot! It is equable distribution. Equable distribution
is anything that the judge decides.The man generally
losses about 75% of everything he has ever earned.
I personally know many of my co-workers and many
other men, who have lost almost everything in the
real world.
I agree wholeheartedly – the law is sooo stupid. Whether you are broke or a billionaire, everyone should consider a prenup because marriage settlements are not eqitable, but blatantly punitive! It’s ridiculous.
It seems to me that the gay men got it right about what marriage and women could do when a relationship ends. Thanks to Congress, gays are forbidden by law to marry, thus they cannot divorce. Just split and go on your way.
There have only been very very few public cases of gay couples sueing for support after a relationship ends. 99.9% of marriages end with some type of support or division of property going to the women.
Men make more money than women so having a double male income makes for a higher quality lifestyle. Most gay men that are in relationships accept that there is cheating going on. Who says that the person you cheat with cannot be a woman.
A gay male relationship gives you a person that will do all those things in bed that a woman will not do. So just close your eyes, put your hands behind your head and you’ll feel like you own half of Texas while they perform. You’ll never know the difference.
No property settlements. Period.
I really don’t think the issue is one of a prenup. What i Think needs to be considered when it comes to divorce is what role the woman played. Let’s take the billionaire case. That woman obviously did nothing. I garantee that with that type of money she had no cooking or cleaning to do and since there is no mention of children I am assuming that they didn’t have any. I think therefore since she did nothing, she gets nothing. On the other hand, if the woman is upkeeping the house and raising kids then she is entitled to something, what depends on how much of that housework she is doing and how much she suckers her man into doing. If he is doing most of the housework then she should get very little like 10%, if she does all of the housework, cooking, cleaning, groceries, laundry, child rearing, then yes a 50% split of what was accumulated during the relationship only should go to her. And I hardly think the billionaire made all of that money while he was married. How much did he go into the relationship with?
I really feel sorry for this guy. I’m sure this woman didn’t do near enough in their marriage to earn even close to that about.
It’s all about greed. She probably never really cared for him, just for his money. Then he, like an idiot mind you, gave her a way to get his money and rid of him.
Brilliant move on his part.. not!
And with 6 billion dollars, hell, you’d think he’d be able to kill her himself and then buy his way out of it!
Give her 1/2. After 52 years shes got it coming. Anyway neither could ever spend all that money and they’ll both be dead before it’s ever settled.
Another one of my favorite gold digging useless sluts, is
Ivana Trump. She was on life styles giving a lecture on how
to be a financial success in life. She kept repeating what
you have to do to be a success. And since when did she
become an expert on success?; since she married a billionare?
Use the average yearly PERSONAL income of the INDIVIDUAL that wants the divorce and figure out exactly What That Person earned. That is the Fair Share.
Who gives a f**k about a billionaires money? Neither will be hurting no matter what. Hopefully some day one of them will starve to death.
boy did my mom shure rip my dad off well I dont have to tell you who gets my respect now
fu#@ them dont marry them
I have a few words for you, Anna Nichole Smith. This “woman” is illitrate, did not graduate past the eighth grade and would be living in a trailer in Alabama with a degenerate jail bird if her boobs did not get her in bed with J Howard Marshall. Then this stupid divorce court gives her half a BILLION DOLLARS. If this does not prove that the laws are stacked in favor of the women, I do not know what does! This trailer trash gets in front of a jury and says that it is expensive to be her and that she is entitled to this money. This woman is entitled to a kick in the pants and a job at the local drive thru saying “may I take your order!” Fortunately the law of “A fool and their money are soon parted” will come in to effect, and Anna will be broke in no time. Same holds true for Tyson, but that is another rant.
If Mrs. Redstone is half as useless as Anna Nicole, which I doubt ANYONE could be, she still is not entitled to 3 BILLION DOLLARS. Give her 100 Million and a good investment banker and she will be fine. Take the rest of that 2.9 Billion and give it to a charity or some hungry families that really need it.
For men, I think the example above of the useless piece of flesh, Anna, demonstrates that an IRON CLAD PRENUP is the answer. Don’t let that woman con you with the old “I want to be married before we have sex” crap. Or the “we are living in sin” crap. Translated that means, “I don’t want to give you anything until I know I can get mine”. Tell her if she will not sign a prenup, then she can get, and don’t let the door hit her on the way out!!
And for all you women that are saying, “We are entitled to something too” Get a CLUE. Get your own job and your own brain and don’t be a leech! There are plenty of women that I know that would be insulted by the thought of getting their money from a divorce judge. They are business women who are just as selective of their men as men SHOULD be of women. If they were divorced tomorrow with NOTHING, they would be making six figures within months. Unfortunately, too many AMERICAN women, yes it seems to be an AMERICAN problem (would explain the explosion of mail order brides), feel that they are entitled to everything and that all they need is silicone, and to spread their legs, and easy street here I come. The rest of the world looks at you as what you are, WHORES. Money for services rendered, period….
Here is the thing of it,Mrs. Redstone has no real proof of infidelity,when I go out on the town with a friend,there is a chance off hands being held,it is just simple human-to-human contact,secondly there are two prior instances where she tried to divorce Mr. Redstone,leading one to believe she really did love him or what ever ammo she had ready for the divorce was even flimsier then this piece of evidence and if she is going to ask for a divorce over hands being held,I doubt she loves the guy.Now,did she earn that money?some would say yes because she raised the children but if he was a college graduate at the time of thier marriage(a very good likely-hood being a head of bussiness) and they waited more then a few years to have children(assuming there are any) then there is a good chance that she had atleast some comfort and luxury provided to her and possibly even a nanny or a cleaning lady of some sort since it is doubtfull that he made ALL of this money in 52 years.Not a good case for asking for $3,000,000,000.Then there is the case of wether or not she deserves money for possible earnings,simply put,HELL NO!!!!She agreed to raise the kids and keep the home,she could have left him and pursued her own life if she wanted to,the most she can ask for is the pay that a nanny or maid-person would have earned over the time they where married and I really doubt it reaches 3 billion dollars.
if you think its tough in the states,what abt switzerland where as painful experience has shown,a wife can take any number of lovers and when the husband as always,finds out cos the wife is too stupid to hide it,and he decides to leave the home,the wife is entitled to half of everything in divorce and the law takes no account of infidelity.soemething is seriously wrong here.and know i dont think she deserves anything cos she was obviously just looking for a way to get rid of hom and get the money.
She’s doing exactly what the LAWYER told her to do. It’s the lawyers who are the prostitutes here. More money for her = more money for the lawyer. The truth and fairness never enter the picture.
Really, who cares? The issue with divorce settlements doesn’t exist with filthy rich old people- they’re both gonna die in a few short years way before either of their money runs out. Before all these broke male whiners
go on bitching about what money-greedy sluts women are, they need to realize that in a society where it has only become acceptable for women to have a job in the last few decades, we have come a helluva long way a lot faster than our male counterparts. Divorce sucks, and without bitching, men and women both need to realize that legally, when they get married, what’s one half’s is the other’s. That continues for the initial period after the marriage breaks up. You don’t like it, don’t get married or sign a prenup. Just don’t BS yourself into thinking that marriages are carved in stone. If you do, you’re so stupid you deserve to lose half your estate.