Pasadena family law lawyers who encourage their clients to consider a prenup before walking down the aisle say the recent divorce of The Vampire Diaries star Paul Wesley from actress Torrey DeVitto illustrates the benefits of a properly prepared prenuptial agreement.
Wesley and DeVitto, who appeared on The Vampire Diaries in a guest role, will be keeping their earnings separate after the divorce. They are also keeping the money they each contributed to the purchase of their new home.
Wesley was the bigger earner by a large margin. He contributed $730,593 to their home, while she put up just $10,000. Without a prenup, he would have lost a significant sum in the divorce.
Wesley and DeVitto married in April 2011 and separated in July. They had no children together.
A divorce without a prenup can be pricey for a high earner. Madonna's divorce from Guy Ritchie is said to have cost her between $76 and $92 million due to her lack of a prenuptial agreement.
Even if a couple earns about the same when they married, it's hard to tell who will end up being the higher earner. Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey started off on similar financial footing, but Simpson out-earned her husband by several million when they divorced. He settled for less than half of her estimated $36 million in income during the time they were married, but a prenup would have saved her a nice chunk of change.
If you're thinking about getting a prenup, it's important to act quickly. A prenup that is signed too close to your wedding date is likely to be contested, since it could be argued that the pressure to keep the wedding on schedule is effectively coercing the lesser earning party into signing the agreement.
How Can We Help?
If you are in need of assistance creating a prenuptial agreement, please call our office at (626) 683-8113 or email us at info@PasadenaLawOffice.com. Our team of skilled Pasadena family law attorneys can help create an agreement that will best protect your assets no matter what the future holds.