Most Arizona residents who have been through a divorce with minor children understand the need for financial support whether they are custodial or noncustodial parents. Child support is intended to meet the financial needs of children so that their development is not hampered by poverty. In high-asset divorces, however, the overall financial stakes are far higher, so it should not be surprising that requests for child support might also be high-and perhaps be judged as exorbitant by the public.
The pending divorce of hedge-fund billionaire Ken Griffin and former wife Anne Dias-Griffin is a case in point. Dias-Griffin has asked her estranged spouse to pay $1 million per month in child support for the couple’s three children. Their monthly expenses, she says, include $6,800 in groceries, $7,200 in restaurants, $60,000 for office space with four nannies, $160,000 in vacations and $300,000 for a private airplane.
According to the New York Post, Dias-Griffin’s demand for child support is on top of the $40 million she received from Griffin in accordance with the couple’s prenuptial agreement. Griffin, the head of investment giant Citadel, is allegedly worth some $5.5 billion. Dias-Griffin herself, the founder and chief executive of the hedge fund Aragon Global Management, is seeking to have their prenuptial agreement invalidated. She is also claiming that the additional child support is necessary to ensure the couple’s three children continue to enjoy a comfortable upbringing and lifestyle. The new child support demand comes after the couple filed for divorce in 2014 following 11 years of marriage. The pair separated in 2012.
Prolonged disputes over child custody or child support are usually not good for the children involved. If parents really want to protect their children’s best interests, it may be wiser to speak with an experienced attorney and work for a mutually agreeable settlement.
Source: Yahoo Parenting, “$1 Million a Month in Child Support? Inside a Billionaire’s Nasty Divorce Battle,” Jennifer O’Neill, Feb. 25, 2015