Christina Aguilera And Courteney Cox Divorces: What's At Stake?
Posted on Tue Oct 12th, 2010 6:30pm PDT By X17 Staff
Now that Courteney Cox and David Arquette, Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman have decided to call it quits, we're wondering what these super-rich females might have to give up to their less-rich men in divorce court. California is famous for it's 50/50 split of all property acquired during the marriage but both Courteney and Christina already had lots of cash going into their respective relationships ... and what about future earnings?
Net assets
Courtney and David:
Cox's net worth of $75 million, according to CelebrityNetWorth.com. Courteney earned $5 mil for Scream 2 and $7 mil for Scream 3, but she raked in a ton more from her work on Friends, where Court received a well-known $1 million per episode, not to mention syndication earnings.
David Arquette, on the other hand, has not been as successful in film and television. His biggest paycheck? -- $5 million for Eight Legged Freaks. Of course, it all comes down to whether or not the couple had a prenuptial agreement and what that agreement specifically states.
J. Michael Kelly, a Santa Monica attorney who has been handling high profile divorce cases for over 40 years, chatted exclusively with X17online about these recent celebrity splits: "The two things that matter as far as a division of assets who gets custody of the kids and the prenup."
It's uncertain whether either couple has a prenup, though it's likely both do. When so much money is involved, most attorneys would council their clients to have one in place before tying the knot. But while Kelly admits that prenups can be "common," sometimes Hollywood types don't want them in the beginning because "love trumps all."
And if the wife is wealthier in a Hollywood marriage, will husbands have to fight tooth and nail to get any money if the couple had a prenup? “Yes, most definitely,†says Kelly. Because the point of the prenup is to "prevent any fighting, because that’s it. It's already been decided!â€Â
Some of David and Courteney's mutual earnings include the profit from the 2007 sale of their Malibu beach front home for $33.5 million which they purchased in 2001 for an estimated $10 million.
Additionally, the couple runs Coquette Productions, which produced Dirt and now Cougar Town -- two shows starring Courteney herself. (Just to note, in the case of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, the couple founded Plan B Entertainment together with Brad Grey. And after splitting, Pitt became the sole owner of the company in 2006.)
Christina and Jordan:
Xtina's net worth, according to CelebrityNetWorth, is $60 million, mostly due to the success of her first (self-titled) album which sold over 17 million copies worldwide.
Jordan Bratman, a music marketer, has a net worth of approximately $15 million.
Additionally, Christina and Jordan received a reported $1.5 million from People mag for the rights to their first baby pictures of son Max.
Think these two have a prenup? Attorney Michael Kelly assumes so! Christina Aguilera is “a very sharp businesswoman," he says, comparing her to Madonna. "I imagine she has a very good prenup.†Guess that means Jordan better watch his back if things get ugly with his ex in the future, especially when it comes to their son Max.
Kelly also tells us child custody is of the upmost importance in dividing assets in a divorce: "A prenup allows you to circumvent all laws in California except custody, and the amount of time shared for custody is important when it comes to the amount of child support payments."
Child custody
Both couples say in their respective statements released by publicists, that they're putting their children first. Christina and Jordan: "Our commitment to our son Max remains as strong as ever." Courteney and David: "We remain best friends and responsible parents to our daughter ..."
But what happens down the line when one or both parents decide not to be so civil? Attorney Kelly notes: "When a divorce begins, everyone says they're going to take care of the kid." But if a battle heats up over who's going to take care of Coco or Max, would a judge then favor the parent with the higher earning parent for sole custody? Again, it all depends on the prenup, which can "eliminate spousal support, but not child support." And if there is no prenup ... may the best parent win!