A rich hedge-fund manager, Jacob Gottileb, has made the perfect case for prenuptial agreements. The Manhattan resident isn’t your normal 9 to 5 worker; he doesn’t make just enough to pay the bills – he makes $54 million a year. Recently divorced, Jacob showed that getting a prenup is the right choice for anyone with massive wealth. His estranged wife was awarded just $1.6 million dollars, roughly the amount that Jacob makes per week.
The couple was married for five years, and divorce papers were filed in 2012. Jacob runs Vision Asset Management, a biotech firm that is valued at $3.8 billion dollars.
The divorce proceedings lasted so long because his estranged wife, Alexandra Lumiere Gottlieb, just 37 years old, countersued her husband after he attempted to enforce the prenuptial agreement that she signed. Alexandra stated that she was pressured into signing the agreement, and that she was already pregnant with the couple’s first child at the time of signing.
Matters escalated for Jacob when his wife stated that he took advantage of her emotional state, and that bait and switch tactics were used at the time. She alleged that he insulted and threatened her, and failed to make a full financial disclosure.
The agreement was signed in 2006. Alexandra argues that she took the offer in the prenup because she did not want to have a child out of wedlock. The negotiations continued for months before the agreement was signed.
Within the agreement, it is stated that Alexandra will receive:
- $300,000 for each year that the couple was married
Alexandra also signed away her right to any of her ex’s salary as well as her share of interest in the couple’s $30 million home in Central Park West.
The good news is that the agreement does state that Gottlieb will provide for a full-service doorman building on Third Avenue and Broadway between 69th and 80th street. The issue is that Lumiere will not receive any of this financial help once the children have moved out of the house – she will be thrown out.
Jacob was worth $100 million when the couple was married, and now has a net worth of $188 million, according to documents.
Honorable Judge David Saxe ruled in Jacob’s favor and stated that Lumiere should have known that she was marrying a “penny-pincher.” The judge stated that the agreement indicated Jacob was not willing to give her any of his considerable wealth, and that she signed the document willingly.
The moral of the story is that a prenuptial agreement saved Jacob tens of millions of dollars.
The Micklin Law Group, LLC is a New Jersey law firm focusing on family law. Attorney Brad Micklin was recently named to The National Advocates list of Top 100 attorneys from each state. To set up a consultation, call 973-562-0100.
