All Star Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson filed for divorce last week. From a legal perspective, Mr. Wilson should expect to pay a relatively small amount in support to his current wife in the form of either alimony or equitable distribution of the martial assets. Speculating what the final outcome will be in his divorce is like trying to shoot fish through a barrel. There’s so much we don’t know about the divorce that it makes speculating on what will happen with Mr. Wilson a proverbial crap-shoot. For example, we don’t know if there was a prenuptial agreement signed by the parties. This matters because prenuptial agreements take the decision making process of “who gets what” out of the hands of a divorce judge and puts it in the hands of the parties who signed it. If they did sign an agreement, the agreement could call for Ms. Wilson to receive anything from absolutely nothing to a lump sum payment amount or a certain amount of money per month. Prenuptial agreements bring certainty and peace of mind, which is exactly why getting a good prenuptial agreement is so valuable for our clients. Second, we don’t even know where they filed. If they filed in King County, that’s in favor of Ms. Wilson because the commissioners in this county tend to be very liberal. Once we know more about the details about the dissolution, then we can give a better answer on what will happen in his case.
Meanwhile, I’d like to point out that it’s a good thing that they don’t have to deal with child custody issues. Finally, if you wonder why Mr. Wilson choose to exercise privacy in his divorce rather than doing it publicly, look no further than the unacceptable classless comment made by Mr. Capra where he called Mr. Wilson’s wife unattractive. Not only is Mr. Capra wrong, but comments like this are absolutely unacceptable in our modern society. Mr. Wilson’s decision probably has more to do with being a young man and getting married when he was even younger (23), than anything else. The reality is that many of our own affluent clients choose to conduct their divorce in privacy rather than engage in the circus of court system. And, with comments like Mr. Capra’s, who could blame them?
