Actress Amber Heard filed for divorce from husband Johnny Depp in May of this year, and their rocky relationship has consistently made headlines ever since. TV star Kaley Cuoco, of The Big Bang Theory, divorced her husband, tennis player Ryan Sweeting, earlier this year as well. The two divorces have a lot in common ”“ celebrity couples with high net worth. But there’s one thing that they don’t have in common ”“ one couple had a prenup, and the other did not.
Cuoco was named the TV’s highest paid actress in 2015 (tied with Sofia Vergara), making $1 million per episode of The Big Bang Theory and having a net worth of around $45 million. Her ex-husband, on the other hand, is worth about $2 million. Thanks to the prenuptial agreement signed by Cuoco and Sweeting, Cuoco was able to retain full control of her substantial net worth, including the money she is to receive as she fulfills her 72-episode contract. She also kept their couple’s two homes.
Depp, on the other hand, did not have a prenup with Heard. He agreed to pay $7 million to Heard for the divorce, and based on recent drama may end up parting with more. After Heard announced she would be donating the money to charity, Depp decided he would do it himself. This means he can claim tax deductions from the charitable offering and Heard cannot. Now, Heard and her attorneys are calling Depp out for changing the divorce settlement and are demanding Depp pay an extra $7 million to charity, in order to meet his $7 million obligation to Heard.
What’s the moral of the story? The more you have, the more you have to lose. You don’t have to be a celebrity to have assets you want to keep after divorce, like your house or your car. A prenup is the best way to protect your property in divorce.
Our Denver family law attorneys serve clients throughout Colorado and can help you protect your property in divorce.
