It was a split heard 'round the world. Only a mere five days after Valentine's Day 2021, TMZ reported
that Kim Kardashian officially filed for divorce from her reportedly estranged husband Kanye West.
Rumors of their divorce first began in August 2020 following West's presidential bid and
Twitter tirades. West was previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder,
and Kardashian has spoken out about trying to connect with West during difficult episodes.
Through all of the couple's ups and downs, they have both put their four children first.
Per Page Six, Kim stopped wearing her wedding ring in January 2021,
and West had relocated to his Wyoming ranch full-time. Now Kardashian is pulling the plug on
their seven-year marriage. She reportedly retained divorce attorney Laura Wasser, who is known to,
quote, "advocate for her clients to negotiate and agree on a confidential settlement before any
divorce papers are filed in court," according to Page Six, ensuring that financial details remain
private and not public record. Yet it seems Kardashian might have just circumvented that.
So what do we know about this power couple's prenuptial agreement?
According to TMZ, the couple might have already settled the finances of their split.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West had a prenuptial agreement prior to their lavish 2014 wedding,
and sources state that neither partner is contesting it. The exes are even seeking
a joint custody arrangement, while also, quote,
"already far along in reaching a property settlement agreement," the outlet reported.
Since their prenup, both stars now boast more assets. West's $14 million Wyoming ranch is
one of the couple's many shared properties, plus their Hidden Hills home that is now worth
an estimated $60 million after renovations. A source told Page Six that Kardashian is, quote,
"trying to get Kanye to turn over the Calabasas house to her
because that's where the kids are based." The unnamed source also confirmed that Kardashian
owns "all the land and adjoining lots" to the property while West owns the house itself.
What about the cash? Forbes deemed West a billionaire in April 2020;
the publication also credits Kardashian's net worth at $780 million, a stunning increase
from her original $30 million in funds before marrying West, as reported by Fox Business.
A family attorney at New York City firm Aronson Mayefsky & Sloan speculated to Fox
that Kardashian and West's current prenup would most likely ensure that, quote,
"everything they came to the marriage with... they would leave with." New ventures would "be
off the table," and neither are expected to seek spousal support. It's the end of an era.
As previously mentioned, while Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's prenuptial agreement
may have already settled some of the finances, their joint properties remain up in the air.
Kardashian and West own multiple properties, including their $60 million renovated home
in Calabasas, California and their $14 million ranch in Cody, Wyoming.
West has previously mentioned his desire to indulge in real estate development.
In July 2020, he tweeted a photo of the framework of a dome-like home.
The famed rapper, fashion designer, and producer also expressed interest in building eccentric
homes in a 2018 interview. West told radio host Charlamagne Tha God (via Consequence of Sound):
"I'm going to be one of the biggest real-estate developers of all time,
what Howard Hughes was to aircrafts and what Henry Ford was to cars. We're gonna develop cities."
A
Here's where things get tricky — Since Kardashian owns the land, and West owns the house,
Sherri Sharma, a family attorney at New York City firm Aronson Mayefsky & Sloan,
speculated to Fox that if Kardashian and West cannot agree who will buy the other out,
the home could possibly get sold. She said,
"Depending on how it's titled, it could be that certain assets acquired during
the marriage would be considered 'marital property' in New York and in California,
it would be 'community property' that would be divided equally."
Yikes.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's prenuptial agreement could possibly affect the former's
business ventures, too. Sharma, who represents neither party,
speculated to Fox Business that the division of Kardashian's KKW Beauty and Skims shapewear
brand entities would vary depending on their prenuptial agreement. Additionally,
if the rapper helped his estranged wife launch her companies or consulted her in any way,
he may be entitled to a percentage of her company. Sharma said,
"Let's assume that Kanye was involved, since he is also in fashion and perhaps was advising
her as she was consulting in some ways. My understanding is typically that can increase the
percentage that someone is entitled to. That is the way it would work, at least in some states."
According to Sharma, West could possibly be entitled to half of the $100 million
beauty brand if he contributed anything, per New York and California's marital laws. She added,
"That is messy because similar to the real estate we were discussing,
he has to be bought out. And with a company, it's obviously more complicated than real estate
so it has to be valued and it would require disclosing lots of financial documents
and hiring a valuation expert to put a number on it."
However, there could be a silver lining for Kardashian.
Sharma suggested the reality star negotiate with West under the argument that her Skims
line isn't doing well amid competition and the COVID-19 pandemic. Clearly,
the estranged lovers have a lot of work to do before their divorce is finalized.
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