F1 Divorce for the Record Books

Published by shark

March 12, 2009 at 13:33

It looks like some Billionaires have problems other than the Financial Crisis, or maybe more accurately on top of the Financial Crisis.

Bernie Ecclestone, a Formula One boss who is worth Billions, has recently divorced his wife of 24 years, former model Slavica Ecclestone. Bernie has a net worth of £2.4 Billion ($3.6 Billion), and his former wife Slavica is seeking upwards of £1 Billion. This settlement seems reasonable to many legal experts, possibly making this the largest divorce settlement in history.

The Telegraph writes,

Judge Berry held that he "has behaved in such a way that the petitioner cannot reasonably be expected to live with" him. In court papers Mrs Ecclestone claimed that her husband's behaviour "has caused me stress and anxiety".

I think that most women would be happy to put up with a little stress for £1 Billion. Bernie entrusted Slavica to control much of his finances, so it will be difficult to hide anything from her. It seems that Slavica is not only looking for a large lump payment, but also wants one third of all Bernie's future earnings.

Billionaires have a tough life. Some are having trouble in this Financial Crisis, others are having woman trouble. Either way, they are still Billionaires.

Response by newsfreak

March 12, 2009 at 15:16

F1 Divorce for the Record Books

Some notes about the marriage/divorce -

The divorce hearing took 58 seconds
Slavica Ecclestone is 6' 2" and Bernie is 5' 2"
Slavica Ecclestone is 50 and Bernie is 78
Slavica Ecclestone was a famous international model. She modeled for Armani.
They have two daughters together - Tamara Ecclestone (born 1984) and Petra Ecclestone (born 1988). Both the daughters can speak fluent Croatian.
Daughter Tamara Ecclestone is a model/TV presenter. She appeared nude for a a PETA animal-protection organization campaign in Croatia.
The daughters Tamara Ecclestone and Petra Ecclestone were apporached to make a UK version of the real life
A complex system of companies places much of the Ecclestones' wealth in Slavica's name, with much of his F1-related property owned by a Jersey-based holding company (named SLEC, for SLavica ECclestone), of which Slavica is the major stockholder. She also owns her own promotion company. Slavica is patron of the British-Croatian society in London. (Link)

So, if you have 25 years of marriage, 12 inch vertical separation, 28 years of age difference, two 21+ year daughters, managed the family finances and been a supermodel for Armani - I think $1 billion is just ok!