Prenuptial agreements have been growing in popularity among ordinary people who just want to protect their interests if their marriages sour. However, they’ve long been a “must-have” for the rich and famous.
No doubt, that’s what singer Kelly Clarkson was thinking when she married her now former manager Brandon Blackstock seven years ago. A prenup between the two carved out some sharp lines between what could be considered separate property and what was marital property (and, therefore, subject to division in a divorce.)
The divorce was over, but the property fight continued
Clarkson and Blackstock actually “untied the knot” back in August, but the couple was still battling it out over a ranch in Montana and some other properties in that state.
Blackstock had argued that the prenup should be overturned and that the property (along with anything else that they earned or acquired during their marriage) should be treated as their joint possessions.
The judge disagreed. According to the court’s ruling, the $10 million ranch and two other contested properties were subject to the prenuptial agreement the two had signed. They were bought with Clarkson’s own money and never commingled with her spouse’s assets. In addition, as the court cited, they were titled solely in Clarkson’s name.
This may have come as very unwelcome news to Blackstock, but it’s probably reassuring and affirming to other couples who hope that their own prenuptial and postnuptial agreements will hold up if they ever have a problem.
Situations like this are a clear reminder that foresight is better than hindsight any day — especially when it comes to divorce and issues surrounding the division of the marital property.