Woman seeks $13M divorce settlement

Suit claims lifestyle with billionaire husband left her ‘impoverished’

A Montreal-area woman who has filed for divorce from her billionaire husband is seeking a $13-million settlement as well as a $50,000 monthly allowance, claiming the lifestyle she paid for in part during her marriage left her “impoverished.”

According to a suit filed last week by the woman’s lawyers at the Montreal courthouse, the couple, who were married three years ago and cannot be identified because their case is before the family division of Superior Court, began their marriage happily and in no small amount of style.

The woman’s claim before the court describes a lifestyle that included nearly a dozen trips annually — some of them taken on a private jet — to Africa, Asia and Europe and included stays at the finest hotels and restaurant bills of $400 per meal.

The woman was provided by her husband with annual clothing allowance of $20,000 as well as $10,000 allowance for cosmetics, the suit says. However, the lawsuit contends the woman covered some of the costs, an exercise which, given her far more limited personal wealth, left her “impoverished.”

According to the lawsuit, the marriage began to deteriorate and the husband “became very stingy” toward his wife, “even demanding that she pay for movies she had ordered on television, which usually cost $6.”

The suit also contends that the husband forbid his wife from drinking his wine when he wasn’t home, going so far as to keep inventory of what was in the cellar.

According to the lawsuit, the husband was “in no way helpful and concentrated ceaselessly on his own needs, ignoring those of his wife,” would constantly belittle her and, toward the end of their marriage, would leave her alone for as long as 20 days a month. The suit alleges that on one occasion and while sick at home, the wife asked her husband to pick up some medication at the pharmacy, a request he refused.

The suit argues that the wife is entitled to maintain a lifestyle “similar to that known during the marriage,” and is seeking a lump-sum payment of $13 million, monthly support payments of $50,000 as well as $300,000 to cover lawyers’ fees.