Haul out the abacus!
The ugly divorce of Chicago’s wealthiest couple drags on with new disputes over — guess what — money.
On Tuesday, Anne Dias Griffin — wife of billionaire Citadel investment mogul Ken Griffin and mother of their three children — filed motions in Cook County court claiming that her estranged husband wants to kick her out of their marital home next month.
Not long after the filing, Ken Griffin’s spokeswoman fired back a statement expressing shock at Dias Griffin’s recent extravagance, citing a demand for a $450,000 holiday vacation in St. Bart’s.
Sources close to Ken Griffin tell Sneed he has paid 100 percent of his children’s expenses since the couple’s separation — yet his wife continues to make new demands, which include a staff of 20; a private jet at her disposal; Griffin to pay for 75 days of vacation at locations of her choice, as well as access to $100 million worth of additional real estate he owns, which exceeds conditions of the couple’s prenup.
“Ken is focused on the well-being of his children, and that has guided his every decision,” according to a spokeswoman.
“He has willingly paid all reasonable, and frankly, many unreasonable expenses throughout the separation, including millions in cash to Anne, and a $10 million gift to Harvard in Anne’s name. But when Anne takes things to a ridiculous level of extravagance and demands things like a $450k vacation to St. Bart’s, enough is enough.”
However, a representative for Dias Griffin shot back: “It is completely false that Anne Dias took a $450,000 vacation or that Ken Griffin paid for it. The fact is her Christmas vacation with her children cost far less — and she paid for it. It is also false that Mr. Griffin paid $10 million for a gift to Harvard in her name — the gift was in both names.”
Dias Griffin’s Tuesday filing demanded the court force disclosure of her husband’s income, expenses and net worth and make a decision on temporary child and spousal support — arguing Ken Griffin can’t decide what happens to their marital property without a judge ruling on their prenup.
Sources close to Ken Griffin also claim he is following the guidelines of their prenup involving joint property; that their apartment at 800 N. Michigan Ave. is their only joint property; and she can stay in the house until the end of the school year in June.
In her court filing, Dias Griffin claims her estranged mate wants to kick her out of their marital home in February and will no longer pay the bills unless she agrees to sell her stake in the home to him. If she does, then she can stay until June.
In her argument for temporary support, Dias Griffin claims that just before Ken left the marital home, while she was pregnant with their third child, he forced her to stop trading on her own.
“Having effectively handcuffed Anne from earning a living . . . Kenneth would now have her be responsible for a substantial portion of the children’s expenses,” the filing states.
Since their split, Dias Griffin claims her husband has cut her off from the couple’s credit cards, joint accounts and family homes and closed the Kenneth and Anne Griffin Foundation.
Dias Griffin’s new filing also claims:
• Ken told Anne he will pay only the children’s expenses that he deems reasonable, and he wants the costs to remain “off paper” to ensure Anne is a “good girl to him,” according to the filing.
• Last week, Ken told Anne “if she asks him for a penny, he would sue her until she has no money left.”
• Ken has missed multiple deadlines for the financial filings, which were originally due in August.
• Ken said he can pay whatever amount of support the court orders and therefore doesn’t need to disclose his income, according to the filing. As Anne writes in the petition: “Kenneth erroneously labors under the misconception that there exists a ‘Kenneth Griffin’ exception” to the law requiring him to reveal his worth.
• Decisions on support have been delayed by Ken’s failure to file his financial disclosures “notwithstanding the fact that he has a large financial staff and many of the largest accounting firms at his disposal to help him complete it.”
• Translation: Sneedless to say, this slugfest would take a staff of 20 to interpret!
Stay tuned.
Sneedlings . . .
Wednesday’s birthdays: Jack Nicklaus, 75; Geena Davis, 59, and Placido Domingo, 74.
