Texas residents may be aware that the Hollywood glamour couple Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith announced in June 2014 that their 19 year marriage was ending. The couple pledged at the time that they hoped to avoid a contentious legal battle, and media reports concerning the couple’s divorce documents released on Dec. 8 seem to indicate that the split was indeed amicable.
According to the reports, Banderas will pay Griffith spousal support of $65,000 per month. The actress will also receive the couple’s home in Colorado’s exclusive Aspen ski resort. Both Banderas and Griffith are passionate art collectors, and the divorce agreement will see Griffith keep the Picasso masterpiece ‘The Painter and his Model.” However, Banderas will be able to console himself by hanging works by Picasso and Diego Rivera on his walls.
The couple married in 1996 and signed a postnuptial agreement in 2004. This agreement calls for the couple to split the proceeds earned from films made between 2004 and 2014. Banderas did particularly well during this period with hits including ‘Shrek 2″ and ‘Puss in Boots.” The couple are also said to have split the proceeds of the sale of their Los Angeles residence. Bitter experience may have been the reason that Griffith and Banderas were able to avoid a protracted dispute. The split is the second divorce for Banderas and the fourth for Griffith.
These reports indicate how prenuptial and postnuptial agreements may reduce suspicion and fear and allow divorces to proceed more amicably. An experienced family law attorney could recommend that couples considering a prenuptial agreement start as they mean to continue by disclosing all of their assets and income. This may not only make the resulting document more likely to withstand legal scrutiny, but it could also lay a foundation of trust that strengthens a relationship and makes a marriage more likely to endure.
