Friday, May 10, 2013

Socialite Fights Hedge Fund Millionaire Over $50,000/Month Child Support

A recent New York Times article discussed a scandalous affair involving hedge fund millionaires, a love child and a potential gold-digging socialite. No, the article was not a review for the latest episode of The Young and The Restless, it’s about a salacious custody battle taking place in New York.

The story begins in Aspen, Colorado, a great place for such a scandalous tale to start. It was there that Warren Lichtenstein, a Wall Street moneyman, met Annabelle Bond, a British socialite and famed mountain climber who once conquered Mt. Everest. The two began a fast and furious relationship and, five years ago, had a child together. Though they briefly were engaged, they never got married and broke up soon after their daughter was born.

Ms. Bond, not one to nurse a breakup for long, soon found herself in Aspen meeting yet another Wall Street financier, this time, Andrew Cader, a former Goldman Sachs executive and owner of the Tampa Bay Rays. The two began a new relationship right as Ms. Bond and Mr. Lichtenstein started a courtroom fight over child support for their daughter.

Ms. Bond decided to leave America and return to Hong Kong, where she was a citizen, and filed suit there against Mr. Lichtenstein. After a prolonged child support fight, the Hong Kong court ordered Mr. Lichtenstein to pay Ms. Bond $41,800 per month in child support as well additional money for school expenses, tutoring, medical bills and travel. Experts say the child support award was one of the largest ever issued by a Hong Kong judge.

While the original child support dispute is over and done, Mr. Lichtenstein recently caught wind of potential financial fraud perpetrated by Ms. Bond, something that he believes should justify a sharp reduction in the amount he pays in child support. According to Mr. Lichtenstein, Ms. Bond left him and immediately took up with Mr. Cader. Mr. Lichtenstein claims that Cader has conspired with Bond to hide her true financial condition and life of privilege by disguising monetary gifts as loans.

For example, Mr. Lichtenstein recently learned that Ms. Bond and their daughter have moved into a home in an upscale area of Hong Kong that is being rented by Mr. Cader for $26,000 per month. However, Mr. Cader has structured this lease as a loan rather than a gift. Additionally, Cader supposedly has given Ms. Bond more than $3.5 million in cash that has also been designated as a loan. Mr. Lichtenstein argues that this money represents gifts to a lover and not a loan and that the two have conspired to lie about Ms. Bond’s financial situation to extract more money in child support and also to avoid Mr. Cader having to pay gift taxes on the money.

The case is currently before the Federal District Court in Manhattan who will now have the pleasure of unraveling this web of intrigue.

If you find yourself facing the prospect of complicated divorce and have questions about your rights and options, contact an experienced Ohio family law attorney who can help guide you through the difficult process. Count on the expertise of Twinsburg family law attorney Carol L. Stephan.

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