Celebrated American billionaire and Microsoft founder, Bill Gates and his wife Melinda, who announced their split on Monday after 27 years of marriage, have no prenup agreement, court papers have revealed.
The court papers also showed that the couple was separated before taking the divorce decision. It, however, did not show the date of their separation.
According to the documents, Melinda Gates, 56, filed the divorce petition in which she described her marriage to Bill Gates, 64, as ‘irretrievably broken’.
In the divorce petition posted by TMZ.com, which was filed in Superior Court of Washington – King County on Monday, Melinda asked the judge to dissolved the marriage “on the date stated in our separation contract”. The separation contract was, however, not included in the filing so that date is unclear.
In the absence of the pre-nuptial agreement, the only agreement pertaining to the divorce is the separation contract.
Melinda did not ask for any spousal support but requested a trial date in April 2022. However it is likely the divorce will be settled without a trial.
The petition states that finances pertaining to the couple’s three children are addressed in the separation contract. The document was signed by both Bill and Melinda, as well as their attorneys.
Both Bill and Melinda hired powerhouse law firms to assist in the divorce. Melinda is represented by a team of four New York based attorneys from two separate firms: Cohen Clair Lane Griefer Thorpe & Rottenstreich LLP and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.
Bill is represented by three Los Angeles-based attorneys from Munger Tolles & Olson. One of the attorneys, Charles T Munger, is a longtime partner of Bill’s billionaire friend Warren Buffett.
The announcement comes less than two weeks after they made their last public appearance, virtually, at a COVID event for healthcare worker.
The Microsoft founder is the fourth richest man in the world with a fortune of about $130billion.