About Jay D. Raxenberg
Not just any divorce attorney. Learn what makes Jay D. Raxenberg Long Islands choice for Divorce Law.
This week, the New York Post featured an article entitled “Judge Doesn’t Buy Wife’s ‘Mentally Ill’ Bid for More Alimony”, by Julia Marsh. The article discusses an Ivy League-educated lawyer’s ploy to get extra alimony from her soon-to-be ex-husband, by claiming she is too mentally unstable to work.
In 2012, Stephen Radin, a partner making more than two million dollars a year at the international corporate law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges, filed for divorce against his wife of twenty-five years, Leona Barksy. As part of the divorce settlement, Ms. Barksy, also a lawyer, argued that she should be awarded an exorbitant amount of monthly alimony, due to her newfound inability to work. Ms. Barsky claimed that the divorce proceedings had left her “very fragile” and “seriously traumatized” and that her resulting mental condition prevented her from maintaining employment.
However, Justice Ellen Gesmer, the Manhattan judge who presided over the case, did not buy Ms. Barksy’s story. She reasoned that as a Penn and Cornell University graduate, who had been out of the workforce for less than three years, Ms. Barksy is capable of earning more than $300,000 a year. As a result, she opined that Ms. Barksy is only entitled to $12,000 a month in alimony, an amount more than five times less than what she was asking for.
Although Ms. Barsky is only being awarded $12,000 a month in alimony, she still made out well in the divorce. In addition to the alimony, she will receive thirty-five percent of the family’s $12 million in assets including a 2011 Lexus, a $3 million Upper West Side apartment and $140,000 worth of silverware, jewelry and art.
Are you considering filing for divorce but concerned about your finances and how they will be divided? If you have specific questions regarding your divorce proceedings, want to ensure that you take the necessary time to properly address all of your issues and concerns, and would like to speak to a respected and experienced Long Island Divorce Attorney, contact the offices of Jay D. Raxenberg. Call (516) 491-0565 or toll free at (888) 543-4867.