Celebrity Divorce: Are We Really So Different Than the Rich and Famous?

Celebrity, Divorce
Celebriy Dicorces: Christie Brinkley and Vera Wang
Christie Brinkley courtesy of David Shankbone and Vera Wang courtesy of Nick Step.

What comes to mind when you hear about the celebrity divorces of people like Vera Wang and her husband of 23 years, Arthur Becker?  Or how about when you hear about the post-divorce custody battle of supermodel Christie Brinkley and her ex-husband Peter Cook?

For many of us, our reaction to a celebrity split likely is:  “Who cares?” For those of us that do get caught up in whole celebrity news, our reaction may be:  “Interesting, but they are so different than me and my friends (gorgeous, filthy rich, seemingly ideal lives…), their divorces must also be so different than ours.”

Are Celebrity Divorces Really All That Different Than Ours?

Vera Wang is the head of her eponymous line of bridal gowns, as well as perfumes and clothing lines in Kohl’s Department Stores. Her husband helped create Vera Wang (the brand) and has been an integral member of her company since 2010. So the big question is: are they going to continue to run the company together after their divorce? At this point, Vera Wang and her husband have publicly stated that for the good of the business they do plan on continuing to work together. Smart?

While the average divorce is not going to deal with a multi-million dollar company, many “average” divorces do deal with self employed individuals who are small business owners. With the economic downturn and layoffs, many couples have used savings or cashed out retirement funds to start and build these businesses. So what happens to these businesses when the couple splits up? If the business is based on the “brand name” of one person, chances are it may not have a true sale value. Thus, it can become difficult for the divorcing couple to agree on the value and worth of the company and decide whether one party can “buy out” the other. Unless a business has a real monetary value, divorcing couples may decide that closing the company doors or doing a buyout isn’t the best economic option. They may decide that going the route that Vera Wang and her husband profess to be taking is a better option.

Which Brings Us to Our Second Celebrity Couple…

Christie Brinkley and Peter Cook divorced in 2008. Earlier this year, the parties were preparing for an ugly, contentious court hearing regarding parenting time, custody, and parental communication. On the eve of trial, the judge stepped in and encouraged the parties to try to resolve their issues, citing the best interest of the children. That weekend, Brinkley and Cook arrived at a settlement which was child-focused and included using a parental coordinator to settle future disputes.

This case brings up a number of issues that the “average” couple encounters every day in their divorce proceedings:

  1. Many divorce decrees include language that the parties should not denigrate each other and should support the children’s relationship with the other party. While enforceable, it is often difficult to stop a party from disobeying this anti-denigration order. The parents would be wise to remember that they are the adults and that placing the children in the middle of the divorce does not “get back at” the other party, but instead only hurts the children.
  2. Two, as the judge in the Brinkley-Cook matter stated, parties should resolve their differences in the best interest of the child, which does not necessarily coincide with the best interest of the parents. Lastly, using a parental coordinator (sometimes called a parenting consultant or parenting time expediter), can be quite beneficial for parents—especially those who have a high degree of conflict. Labels and powers vary by state, but the concept is that by naming a parental coordinator, the parties can take their disagreements to this person, which is generally less expensive and much faster than hiring attorneys and going to court.

So really, when it comes down to it, are our divorces really so different than the Vera Wangs and Christies Brinkleys of the world?

Special thanks to Randi Anna Setter, associate attorney at Matt Legal, for her research and contribution to this blog post.

Images courtesy of David Shankbone and Nick Step.