邓文迪度假 聘请新律师对付默多克.doc

邓文迪度假 聘请新律师对付默多克2013-08-01 17:47:14来源: 中国日报网(北京)分享到 网易微博 0 新浪微博 腾讯空间 人人网 有道云笔记 据纽约时报日前报道，一个月前，传媒大亨鲁珀特默多克突然向与他结婚14年的妻子邓文迪提出离婚。邓文迪则于近日更换律师，这意味着两人离婚可能进入针锋相对的阶段。温迪默多克近日（邓文迪）已经更换律师，这意味着两人的分手之争可能进入针锋相对的阶段。Just over a month after Rupert Murdoch surprised his wife of 14 years with divorce papers, Wendi Murdoch has switched lawyers, a move signaling that the separation could take an acrimonious turn.Mrs. Murdoch has hired William D. Zabel, a well-known New York trusts and estates lawyer who has represented several women in their divorces from wealthy businessmen, including Jane Beasley Welch during her contentious split from John F. Welch, the former chief executive of General Electric.A spokesman for Mrs. Murdoch, Christopher Giglio, confirmed the hiring of Mr. Zabel, but otherwise declined to comment.Mrs. Murdoch had been represented by Pamela M. Sloan, who advised Mrs. Murdoch on her prenuptial agreement with Mr. Murdoch in 1999, when the couple married in front of 82 guests on board his 155-foot sailing yacht, the Morning Glory.But since then, Ms. Sloan had become friendly with the Murdochs, and Mrs. Murdoch decided that she wanted more independent counsel, said a person with direct knowledge of the case who like many people declined to be identified discussing personal matters.Ms. Sloan did not return a request for comment.Although the Murdochs signed a prenuptial agreement and two postnuptial agreements delineating the separation of assets in the event of a divorce, there are a number of areas that remain up for negotiation, said people with knowledge of the case who spoke only on the condition of anonymity.For one, there are the custody arrangements and child support for their daughters, Grace, 11, and Chloe, 9, these people said. Because they are not binding on the court, custody arrangements and child support are rarely part of prenuptial agreements, and are often used by the less-moneyed spouse as leverage in negotiations.Other issues that could be contended include the division of certain assets, like their Fifth Avenue penthouse and the yacht, on which Mrs. Murdoch, 44, and her daughters are currently vacationing in the Caribbean.There is also the contentious issue surrounding the Murdoch family trust. Mr. Murdoch surprised his wife in 2006 when he announced during a television interview with Charlie Rose that Grace and Chloe would have the same economic interest in the familys trust but not the same voting rights as his four children from his previous two marriages.The slip almost created a separation, and prompted Mrs. Murdoch to negotiate more favorable terms for her daughters, according to people close to the couple.Mr. Zabel, an expert in trust law, is expected to examine the soundness of the trust structure.“Even with the most sophisticated couple, unless you have perfect 20/20 foresight often some issues can arise that werent taken into consideration and are prime for negotiation,” said Paul M. Talbert, a divorce lawyer at Donohoe Talbert in New York, who is not involved in the Murdoch case.Representing Mr. Murdoch, 82, in the divorce proceeding is Ira E. Garr of the law firm Garr Silpe. But Mr. Murdoch is also relying heavily on the advice of Gerson A. Zweifach, the general counsel of both News Corporation and 21st Century Fox, as the newly separated companies are now known. Mr. Murdochs 1998 divorce from his second wife, Anna, cost more than $110 million in cash.A company spokeswoman has said the divorce will have no effect on either company.Shortly after a visit to the couples Northern California home in June, Mrs. Murdoch returned to New York to learn that Mr. Murdoch had served her with divorce papers, according to several people close to the couple who would not discuss their private matters for attribution.Mrs. Murdoch, after interviewing about eight different lawyers, including leading members of the matrimonial bar like Robert Stephan Cohen and Peter E. Bronstein, chose Mr. Zabel. Initially, Mrs. Murdoch did not have time to screen potential divorce lawyers and turned to Ms. Sloan, a trusted confidante, by default.The core of Mr. Zabels practice at the law firm Schulte Roth & Zabel is advising wealthy clients like George Soros and the Lehman family, drafting their wills and trusts and advising on estate planning. But he also handles messier matters for his clients; in 2010, for instance, he represented the estate of his longtime client, the Palm Beach philanthropist and investor Jeffry M. Picower, in a $7.2 billion settlement with the federal government over claims related to money that he received from Bernard L. Madoffs Ponzi scheme.There is also the occasional divorce assignment. Much of the time, Mr. Zabel will play the role of mediator, and has peaceably settled the divorces of the late author Michael Crichton, the radio host Howard Stern and the New York Jets owner Robert Wood Johnson IV.But at times, he has been involved in nasty marital spats, like that of Ms. Welch, whose marriage collapsed after she discovered her husbands dalliance with the journalist Suzy Wetlaufer. The divorce was fiercely litigated and settled on the courthouse steps in 2002 only after Mr. Welch agreed to pay Ms. Welch several hundred million dollars.More recently, he represented Christina Lurie, the former wife of the Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, who divorced after 20 years of marriage. Ms. Lurie remained a part owner of the team.Because he keeps divorce representations to a minimum, Mr. Zabel often refers cases to his former wife, Eleanor B. Alter, herself a prominent matrimonial lawyer in New York.查看译文据纽约时报日前报道，一个月前，传媒大亨鲁珀特默多克突然向与他结婚14年的妻子邓文迪提出离婚。邓文迪则于近日更换律师，这意味着两人离婚可能进入针锋相对的阶段。邓文迪聘请威廉扎贝尔为新的法律顾问。扎贝尔是纽约知名不动产律师，曾代理过多个富豪离婚案件，其中包括通用电气首席执行官约翰F韦尔奇和前妻简比丝丽韦尔奇与之间那场激烈的离婚诉讼。邓文迪的发言人克里斯多夫 吉里奥确定邓已经聘请了扎贝尔，但拒绝发表更多评论。此前邓文迪的律师是帕梅拉M斯隆，她曾于1999年为邓文迪和默多克的婚前协议未邓文迪提出建议。不久，在默多克的豪华游艇上，邓默两人在82位嘉宾的见证下结成夫妻。此后，斯隆也与默多克家族成员交好。邓文迪决定寻求更加独立的司法顾问。斯隆拒绝对此发表评论。尽管邓默两人签有一份婚前协议和两份婚后协议，大致规定离婚后分配财产的办法，但仍需要进一步具体的谈判。比如，两人的女儿，11岁的格蕾丝和9岁的克洛艾的监护权及抚养费就是重要的谈判议题。有关子女的监护权和抚养费的协议在法庭上没有约束力，所以极少写入婚前协议，但常常被夫妻中财富较少的一方用作谈判筹码。其他财产分割也存在争议，比如他们在纽约第五大道的房产和游艇。目前，44岁的邓文迪和两个女儿正乘坐游艇在加勒比海度假。围绕默多克家庭信托基金也存在一些争议。2006年，默多克在接受电视采访时宣布，格蕾丝和克洛伊与他前两次婚姻所生的4个孩子一样，在家庭基金会拥有同样的经济利益，但没有同样的股东表决权。这一表态令邓文迪感到非常意外，两人甚至几乎因此离婚，并促使邓文迪为女儿争取更有利的条件。扎贝尔是信托法方面的专家，他可能将受邓文迪委托检查默多克家庭信托基金的结构是否合理。律师保罗塔尔波特在纽约负责离婚案件，他说：“除非你非常有先见之明，否则即使是最精明的夫妇也常有考虑不到的事情需要谈判，”今年82岁的默多克在这起离婚诉讼中的代理律师是加尔斯莱普（Garr Silpe）律师事务所的伊拉E加尔（Ira E. Garr）。默多克