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<\/a>Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Bezos.(Getty Images)<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n
NEWSMAX<\/p>\n
One of the biggest wealth transfers in history is expected in coming days.<\/p>\n
With the flick of a judge\u2019s pen, a $38 billion stake in Amazon.com Inc. will pass to MacKenzie Bezos as part of her separation from company founder Jeff Bezos.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the Godzilla of all divorces,\u201d said Peter Walzer, president of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and founding partner of Walzer Melcher. \u201cNothing comes close to it because of the amount of wealth that\u2019s being divided.\u201d<\/p>\n
A regulatory disclosure detailing the shift in ownership is expected in early July, according to an April filing. It will provide a rare glimpse inside the world\u2019s richest divorce, a result of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rules that require insiders to disclose changes in their holdings.<\/p>\n
While divorce cases aren\u2019t secret in Washington state, little else is expected to be revealed. \u201cEven in states where it isn\u2019t confidential parties can file for divorce but not attach their settlement agreement,\u201d Walzer said. \u201cThere are ways around the public nature of divorce.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeff Bezos, 55, remains the world\u2019s richest person, with a 12% Amazon stake worth $112 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He\u2019ll retain other assets, including the Washington Post and space-exploration company Blue Origin, MacKenzie Bezos, 49, said in an April tweet.<\/p>\n
The amounts involved are unprecedented. While Oracle Corp.\u2019s Larry Ellison has been through multiple divorces, none has affected his stake in the software maker. Likewise, Google co-founder Sergey Brin\u2019s stake remained unchanged after he and Anne Wojcicki divorced without fanfare in 2015.<\/p>\n
Oil industry magnate Harold Hamm\u2019s separation from Sue Ann Arnall was far messier. The couple filed for divorce in 2012 after 26 years of marriage, and their trial two years later ended with Hamm, the chairman and CEO of Continental Resources Inc., being ordered to pay her $972 million of his then-estimated $16.1 billion fortune. Arnall later sought to reopen the case but the Oklahoma Supreme Court dismissed the appeal in 2015.<\/p>\n
MacKenzie Bezos has said she intends to give away much of her wealth. She signed the Giving Pledge in May, promising to donate more than half of her fortune to philanthropy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t wait,\u201d she wrote in her pledge. \u201cAnd I will keep at it until the safe is empty.\u201d<\/p>\n
The divorce petition identifies Bellevue, Washington-based Ted Billbe as her lawyer. Seattle\u2019s Sherri Anderson is the attorney for Jeff Bezos. Neither responded to requests for comment. Even if other details stay under wraps, the case is set to remain a cornerstone of conversation among divorce lawyers.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody in my business is asking about it,\u201d Walzer said.<\/p>\n
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