Melinda Gates described her marriage to Bill Gates as 'irretrievably broken' in a divorce petition which revealed she and the Microsoft founder, who is the fourth richest man in the world with a fortune of about $130billion, did not sign a prenuptial agreement.
ill, 64, and Melinda, 56, announced their split after 27 years of marriage via Twitter on Monday.
Court documents obtained by DailyMail.com showed the couple do not have a prenuptial agreement to help them navigate dividing their wealth - which includes properties in five states, a private jet, an astonishing art collection and a fleet of luxury cars.
The documents, which were filed by Melinda, came to light after the couple's eldest daughter revealed their family has been going through a 'challenging stretch of time'.
In the divorce petition, which was filed in Superior Court of Washington - King County on Monday, Melinda asked the judge to dissolved the marriage 'on the date stated in our separation contract'. The separation contract was not included in the filing so that date is unclear.
In the absence of the pre-nuptial agreement, the only agreement pertaining to the divorce is the separation contract.
Melinda did not ask for any spousal support but requested a trial date in April 2022. However it is likely the divorce will be settled without a trial.
The petition states that finances pertaining to the couple's two children are addressed in the separation contract. The document was signed by both Bill and Melinda, as well as their attorneys.
Both Bill and Melinda hired powerhouse law firms to assist in the divorce. Melinda is represented by a team of four New York based attorneys from two separate firms: Cohen Clair Lane Griefer Thorpe & Rottenstreich LLP and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.
Bill is represented by three Los Angeles-based attorneys from Munger Tolles & Olson. One of the attorneys, Charles T Munger, is a longtime partner of Bill's billionaire friend Warren Buffett.
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