When Jeff Bezos says “I do” for the second time, the actual vows could also be in his prenuptial settlement. With billions on the road and a famously public divorce behind him, the Amazon founder’s pending nuptials with former information anchor Lauren Sanchez are elevating hypothesis in regards to the authorized fantastic print behind the mogul’s extremely anticipated marriage ceremony. Bezos, who’s the fourth richest individual on the earth and presently price $223.7 billion, stands to lose a major quantity of his fortune with out the correct authorized protections ought to his second marriage fail.
Bezos and Sanchez’s three-day Venetian marriage ceremony celebration kicks off on June 24 and is alleged to be costing the couple upwards of $10 million. The couple introduced their engagement in 2023, however finally delayed tying the knot because of delays with the prenup. In line with The Hollywood Reporter, an insider mentioned that the Bezos-Sanchez marriage was initially deliberate for the winter of 2024 in Aspen, however changes to the authorized settlement pushed the date again, with Bezos’ legal professionals allegedly forbidding the billionaire from shifting ahead till the prenup was settled.
Bezos’ and Sanchez’ prenup comes after the Amazon founder’s divorce in 2019 from MacKenzie Scott by which no such settlement existed. Scott walked away with greater than $38 billion in Amazon shares, making the break up one of many costliest separations in historical past. The divorce included explosive dishonest allegations that accused Bezos of getting an affair with now-fiancée Sanchez. The pair’s 25-year marriage lengthy predated Bezos’ monetary success; certainly, Scott labored as the primary Amazon worker and witnessed Bezos usher Amazon into its iconic place. She additionally has 4 youngsters with Bezos.
Bezos’ choice to guard his property the second time round isn’t surprising to high-profile divorce lawyer Robert Cohen, of Cohen Clair Lans Greifer & Simpson, who has dealt with the divorces of Melinda French Gates and Michael Bloomberg. “They’ve probably been via a nightmare earlier than, which is litigation over their prior divorce and the way a lot you’re giving the opposite facet, or getting, they usually don’t wish to try this,” he tells Fortune.
Sanchez, who was married to her first husband Patrick Whitesell till 2019, allegedly signed a prenup together with her former partner with whom she shares two youngsters. When the couple break up, their property and properties had been divided per the settlement.
Whereas the intimate particulars of Bezos and Sanchez’s prenup are personal and confidential, there are a number of widespread elements more likely to be current within the doc and its preparations. Cohen, who just isn’t representing Bezos or Sanchez, mentioned the principle elements are probably the sharing of property, offering assist for Sanchez, and demise provisions. Throughout the phrases, he speculates that Bezos’ authorized staff will search to restrict what Sanchez would obtain of his property or so-called “alimony” and would come with protections for his 4 youngsters from his first marriage.
“He’s additionally going to wish to think about what he’s executed to terminate his first marriage, as a result of there could also be obligations in that that will have an effect on the prenup,” Cohen continues.
A few of these concerns may embody defending the monetary safety of Bezos’ youngsters, says Chris Chen, a monetary planner with Perception Monetary Methods. He factors to the potential institution of an irrevocable belief the place the youngsters are beneficiaries.
“It’s about find out how to put the property within the prenup in such a approach that Lauren doesn’t have a declare to them and, on the identical time, being beneficiant sufficient that she doesn’t actually have a cause to complain,” Chen provides.
Other than the phrases of the contract, Bezos’ legal professionals will probably be working to make sure the contract is acknowledged within the jurisdictions the place he owns property and the place he’s married. The Amazon founder’s speculated major residence is in Miami the place he owns a number of properties totalling an estimated $237 million. Bezos additionally maintains estates in California, Texas, Washington, D.C., and Maui and owns the Washington Put up and aerospace firm Blue Origin.
Completely different jurisdictions even have totally different necessities for the authorized doc. In California, the place Bezos owns property, he could be required to speak in confidence to his partner an entire image of his funds encompassing his home and overseas investments, actual property portfolios, and doubtlessly company governance frameworks. “You don’t need there to be something that you just omit or misidentify,” Cohen provides. Even in states that don’t require disclosure, he says he advises his shoppers to take action anyway.
Whatever the prenuptial settlement’s particulars, Bezos’ upcoming marriage ceremony is not any small feat. With a fortune his measurement, marriage is as a lot enterprise as it’s romance.
