How the Wealthy in Boston Get Divorced

The Material Girl is getting a divorce. Madonna’s Sticky and Sweet tour rolled into Boston October 17, 2008 amid a flurry of news reports of a divorce with her director-husband Guy Ritchie. After seven years of marriage, the 40-year-old Ritchie reportedly would walk away a wealthy man: $60 million, plus several valuable properties scattered across England. Days later, however, the pop star’s representatives deny any settlement has been agreed upon.

Dorchester native Donnie Wahlberg and Kim Fey Wahlberg, his wife of nine years, agreed in August 2008 that that they no longer had the right stuff. Divorce filings for the New Kid on the Block star and his wife cited “irreconcilable differences.” They had been living apart since January 2008. Wahlberg’s soon-to-be ex is seeking physical and legal custody of the couple’s children, as well as alimony and attorney’s fees.

This baseball season not only saw the end of Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek’s 4-year contract, but also his 12-year marriage. On July 28, 2008, the Sox captain and his wife, Karen Varitek, filed for divorce in Georgia. The Sox backstop asked that details of the divorce be kept private for the sake of his three young daughters.

With the Red Sox exit from the postseason, Sweet Caroline won’t serenade Sox fans at Fenway Park until April 2009. The inspiration for Neil Diamond’s classic tune was Caroline Kennedy, not Diamond’s wife of 25 years, Marcia Murphey. Diamond’s $150 million split from Murphy, in 1996, however, still ranks as number two all-time on the Forbes list of most expensive celebrity divorces.

The couple whose nuptials will forever be associated with same-sex marriage divorced after just two years of matrimony. Julie and Hillary Goodridge announced their divorce in July 2006. According to an article in USA Today, more than 10,000 same-sex couples have married since the Supreme Judicial Court’s landmark 2004 decision legalizing gay marriage. In the article, Joyce Kauffman, a member of the Massachusetts Lesbian and Gay Bar Association, estimated that at least 100 gay divorces had been granted in Massachusetts.

To speak with an experienced Boston divorce lawyer, phone Parker Scheer LLP seven days a week, click here, or call toll free at 866-414-0400. There is no fee charged to discuss your divorce. All information furnished will be kept strictly confidential. Read more about Divorce Mediation.