Robert De Niro’s divorce battle is heating up as his estranged wife Grace Hightower and her legal team are gearing up to fight for half of his alleged $500 million fortune.
According to the NY Daily News, new details about the star’s finances emerged during a hearing in Manhattan Supreme Court, in which the two are battling over a 2004 pre-nuptial agreement signed after a previous divorce.
De Niro’s attorney said that under the terms of the prenup Hightower was entitled to a $6 million apartment, $500,000 cash, $1 million each year in alimony and half the value of their marital residence.
However, Hightower, 64, is arguing she is entitled to much more — and that De Niro, 75, has kept her in the dark about their finances since 2008. She believes she is entitled to a cut of 38 movies and 35 new business ventures since 2004 that the Oscar-winning actor has had a hand in.
Hightower’s attorney Allan Mantel estimated the couple’s revenue since their prenup is somewhere between $300 million — $250 million of which came from movies. He is claiming that De Niro’s total net worth is $500 million.
Her attorney explained that Hightower’s frustration that she was not considered an equal led to their previous divorce in 1999, two years after they wed.
“That’s what caused the first divorce — we want a partnership,” Mantel said. “She enhances his goodwill. She enhances his career. ‘I agree you’re going to be my 50% partner’ — it’s in the agreement.”
