Rupert Murdoch shocked the world when he announced he was divorcing third wife, Wendi Deng. Speculation has been rife what the the undisclosed reason behind the divorce, which is described by those in the know as “jaw dropping”, there is always the question of financial settlement.
It’s been reported that Ms Deng agreed to enter a prenuptial agreement before their wedding. However when Mr Murdoch divorced his second wife, who was in fact entitled to 50% of the family stock, she agreed to waive those rights on the understanding the money was put in trust controlled by her three children, and Mr Murdoch’s daughter from his first marriage. This trust was later extended to include Ms Deng’s two children: however they were not given voting stocks. It is anticipated this could become a sticking point with Ms Deng keen to protect their future interests.
Chaninat and Leeds specializes in prenuptial law in Thailand
New York has previously recognized foreign prenuptial agreements as being enforceable as per Stein-Sapir v. Stein-Sapir, 52 A.D.2d 115, 382 N.Y.S.2d 799 (1st Dep’t 1976) and Van Kipnis v. Van Kipnis, 11 N.Y.3d 573, 872 N.Y.S.2d 426, 900 N.E.2d 977 (2008). However New York Courts also recently ruled a prenuptial agreement was invalid on the grounds of misrepresentation/fraud as reported by the ABA Journal which must have caught her attention that it is possible to challenge the validity of prenuptial agreements.
Thailand law is very similar in that the Thailand Conflict of Law Act recognizes foreign prenuptial agreement under certain situations and the Thailand Civil and Commerical Code may invalidate a contract for reasons of fraud.
Relevant Video:
Relevant Articles: Prenuptial Agreements: US Law, Thailand Law and EU Law Compared
International Prenuptial Agreements: Conflicts of Law in the United States
European Prenuptial Agreements and the Hague Convention
Prenuptial Agreements in Japan – the Devil’s in the Details
