The 17 Most Expensive Divorces Ever

News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch recently filed for divorce from Wendi Deng. There's no word on what the split could cost Murdoch, but the media mogul already has a history of costly divorce settlements.
Murdoch separated from former wife Anna Torv in 1999, paying a reported $1.7 billion (including $110 million in cash), making it the most expensive divorce of all time.
The pair had been married for 32 years. Murdoch married 30-year-old Deng just 17 days later.
82-year-old Murdoch is worth $11.2 billion, according to Forbes.

 

 

17- Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving

AP

Settlement: $100 million

A California judge refused to recognize the couples prenuptial agreement scrawled on a napkin and awarded Irving $100 million after the four years of marriage in 1989, according to Forbes.

Spielberg and Irving dated from 1976 to 1979 when she broke up with him to date Willie Nelson. The two got back together and married in 1985.

 

16- Greg Norman and Laura Andrassy

Settlement: $103 Million 
Norman and Andrassy married in 1981 and were divorced in 2006 after 26 years, costing Norman $103 million, according to the AP.
In September 2007 Norman married tennis star Christine Evert and divorced 18 months later. In 2010 Norman married interior designer Kirsten Kutner.

15- Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren

AP

Settlement: reported $110 million 
From the moment Woods crashed his Escalade into the tree outside his Florida home in 2009, it was impossible to ignore the events leading up to his divorce after the couple's six years of marriage.
She received reported $110 million in the settlement, according to the New York Daily News.

 

14- Frank and Jamie McCourt

AP Images

Settlement: $130 million
In what became known as the "Dodgers Divorce," former Los Angeles Dodgers owner and chairman Frank McCourt gave ex-wife Jamie $130 million, and Jamie relinquished her ownership stake in the team, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The couple, who had been married for 30 years, split in 2009.

 

13- Neil Diamond and Marcia Murphey

AP Images

Settlement: $150 Million 
When singer Diamond and then-wife Murphy divorced in 1994 after 25 years of marriage, Diamond's estate of $300 million was divided up with Murphy receiving half, according to Forbes.
Diamond reportedly had only one thing to say: "She was worth every penny."

 

12- Samathur Li Kin-kan and Florence Tsang Chiu-wing

Google Images

Settlement: $154 million
Samathur Li Kin-ka, a Hong Kong property tycoon and billionaire heir, was ordered by a court to pay $154 million to his ex-wife, Florence Tsang Chiu-wing, according to UPI.
The couple were married in 2008 and divorced in 2008. It's believed to be the biggest divorce settlement ever filed in Asia.

 

11- Boris Berezovsky and Galina Besharova

Wikimedia Commons

Settlement: estimated $163 million
Berezovksy, a Russian oligarch who made his fortune in the auto and oil industries, reached a settlement with his former wife in 2011. The couple had been estranged for 16 of their 18 years of marriage, according to The Guardian.
While no final sum has been officially reported, it's understood that the settlement was more than $163 million, The Guardian reported at the time. And The Telegraph reports that the settlement could have been as high as $359 million.

 

10- Michael and Juanita Jordan

AP Images

Settlement: $168 Million
Michael married Juanita during his second season with the Chicago Bulls in 1989 in a small Las Vegas wedding. They enjoyed 17 years and three children together.
In 2002, Juanita filed for divorce, and instead the couple tried to work things out. But in 2006, the Jordans decided to split for good, according to About.com.
The freshly divorced couple supposedly left the courtroom together and went to watch their son play in a basketball game.

 

9- Michael and Maya Polsky

Settlement: $184 million
In 2007, after the Polskys were married for 31 years, Maya filed for divorce.
The couple married in the Ukraine in 1975 and came to the United States a year later.
Polsky, the founder, president and CEO of Invenergy LLC, gave half of his estate to Maya in the settlement, according to the AP.

 

8- Roman and Irina Abramovich

Settlement: $300 million
Russian oligarch Abramovich married Irina in 1991, and the couple had five children according to ABC News.
The couple, married for 16 years, tied the knot in Russia before Abramovich secured the majority of his wealth. They divorced following growing speculation of Roman dating 24-year-old model, Daria Zhukova, who had Abramovich's sixth child in 2009.

 

7- Robert and Sheila Johnson

AP Images/Wikimedia Commons

Settlement: $400 million
Robert L. and Sheila Johnson built their fortune together over 33 years of marriage from 1969-2002 with BET, which Robert Johnson founded in 1980. BET sold to Viacom for $3 billion, according to Black Enterprise.
Following the divorce, Shelia Johnson married Arlington County Circuit Court Chief Judge William T. Newman, who presided over her divorce, according to The Daily Beast.

 

6- Mel and Robyn Gibson

Fred Prouser/REUTERS

Settlement: reported $425 million
In the biggest celebrity divorce ever, Mel Gibson and former wife Robyn evenly divided his $850 million net worth, the Hollywood Gossip reported at the time.
The pair, who were married for 31 years, have seven children together. Robyn filed for divorce in 2009, after it was revealed that Mel had fathered a child with Oksana Grigorieva, according to the New York Daily News.

5- Craig and Wendy McCaw

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Wendy-McCaw.com

Settlement: $460 million
College sweethearts Craig and Wendy McCaw split in 1998.
Seattle-based businessman Craig gave Wendy part of his $12 billion fortune, which he made by selling McCaw Cellular to AT&T, according to ABC News.

4- Stephen and Elaine Wynn

Settlement: $740 million
Stephen and Elaine Wynn really tried to make things work. Their marriage saga started in 1963, when the college sweethearts tied the knot. Twenty years later, in 1986, the couple divorced and remarried just five years later, the AP reported.
But Stephen and Elaine just weren't meant to be and got divorced again in 2009. Under the settlement, she reportedly received $741 million in company stock.

3- Adnan and Soraya Khashoggi

AP Images

Settlement: $874 million
Adnan and Soraya Khashoggi married in 1961, when Soraya was just 15 years old. After five children, and 13 years, the couple divorced in 1974, according to ABC News.
Years later, Petrina Khashoggi, the couple's daughter, got a DNA test which showed Adnan was not actually her father, the Guardian reported.

2- Bernie and Slavica Eccelstone

Settlement: $1 billion-$1.2 billion
After 24 years of marriage, the Eccelstones filed for divorce in 2008, according to The Telegraph.
Ecclestone is the president and CEO of Formula One, and is currently worth about $2.8 billion, according to Forbes.
The odd ex-couple — she's a six-foot tall former Armani model and he's five-foot-four — have two daughters.

1- Rupert and Anna Murdoch

AP

Settlement: $1.7 billion
After 32 years of marriage, the Murdochs called it quits in 1999.
Of the $1.7 billion in assets Rupert gave to Anna, $110 million was in cash, according to ABC News.
After the split, Rupert was married just 17 days later to 30-year-old Wendi Deng, whom he met while married to Anna.

Source: Business Insider