Actor Is Reportedly Worth $900M And Has No Pre-nup; Wife Could Walk Away With Half
Mel Gibson and wife Robyn filed for divorce on April 13, 2009, citing "irreconcilable differences." (CBS)
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Breaking up is hard to do, especially when you are in the public eye.
(CBS) There's plenty on the table in the newly-announced Mel Gibson divorce case.
Plenty of money, that is.
Gibson and his wife, Robyn, filed for divorce after 28 years of marriage, both citing "irreconcilable differences." And since there's no pre-nup, there's lots of green that could be in dispute.
In his filing, Gibson writes that the couple separated in 2006, less than a month after his infamous DUI arrest. Earlier that night, he was caught partying with young women.
The Oscar-winning actor's net worth has been estimated at upwards of $900 million. In 2004, Gibson topped Forbes magazine's Celebrity Rich List, propelled by the movie "The Passion of the Christ."
His assets are said to include an entire island in Fiji that he bought for $9 million and a 400-acre ranch in Costa Rica purchased for $26 million.
But, according to CBS News legal analyst Lisa Bloom, Gibson's wife could walk away with much more than that. The couple got married before the actor amassed his fortune, she told Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith and, because there's no pre-nup, the court is going to take all the assets earned during their marriage, including all of his wealth, and divide it between the two of them.
"She gets roughly half of that," Bloom said. "It's a long marriage. She's raised their seven children. The idea is that partners in a marriage are real partners, and the court's going to recognize that."
The lawyers could get a pretty penny, as well, depending on how long the battle goes on, Bloom adds. But she notes the Gibsons are requesting privacy and may not want a lengthy public court battle. "They want to do this amicably," she says. "If they do that, the lawyers won't get very much."
Other big recent Hollywood divorce settlements include Paul McCartney's split from Heather Mills and Madonna's breakup with Guy Ritchie. But while the exes in those cases received $40-50 million, Bloom pointed out, that's nothing compared to what Robyn Gibson will get if she is awarded $450 million.
Bloom also explained that any money the actor made after the couple's 2006 separation would stay with Gibson, and the fact that she filed papers first makes no difference in terms of the outcome.
"She filed and four hours later he responded, which is really unheard of," Bloom said. "So they both had to know this was coming."
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