Ken Griffin’s Billionaire Breakup Ends in Divorce Settlement

Billionaire investor Kenneth Griffin and his wife Anne Dias Griffin reached a divorce settlement earlier this week, bringing their high-profile divorce case to a private close. The settlement was signed one day after the Chicago couple’s public trial regarding their prenuptial agreement was scheduled to begin. Proceedings were delayed at the judge’s discretion so the parties could attempt to settle their issues outside of court.

A Cook County Circuit Court administrator announced on Wednesday that the couple had, in fact, successfully reached a settlement. The parties and their attorneys visited the courthouse Tuesday to have the divorce finalized. 

Reaching a divorce settlement saved Griffin, 46, and Dias Griffin, 44, several additional months of litigation and public scrutiny. Among the contested issues in their case, the two parties were fighting over the validity of their prenuptial agreement and Dias Griffin was seeking $1 million in monthly child support payments.

One major source of contention that had nothing to do with dividing the couple’s financial fortune was determining child custody of their three young children. Court documents reveal that the former couple will have joint custody of their children, despite Dias Griffin’s earlier efforts to secure sole custody with visitation for Griffin. Dias Griffin had also wanted to move from Chicago to New York with the children, but the petition was withdrawn.

Aside from information regarding their child custody arrangements, the settlement terms remain undisclosed.

Although their 14-month-long divorce was rife with allegations and accusations, the decision to set aside their differences so they could settle without court intervention likely serves the best interests of their children and family. Whatever concessions were required in order to achieve an agreement that satisfied both parties, they likely pale in comparison to the potential cost of a public divorce trial for such a high-profile couple. 

– Photo by Paul Elledge [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.