A Texas-sized child support battle is playing out in a family law courtroom in another state, pitting a supermodel against a billionaire. While many people will find it hard to relate to the large sum of money at stake, it’s the same basic concept as other child support battles. The judge will need to decide what is best for the child.
Linda Evangelista, whose face graced countless magazine covers in the 1980s and 1990s, is seeking nearly $50,000 per month from her former boyfriend, billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault. He does not dispute the paternity of the 5-year-old son they share, but calls her demands ridiculous. She is seeking funds to pay for armed bodyguards, a live-in nanny and other expenses.
Pinault is now married to actress Salma Hayek, with whom he shares a young daughter.
Evangelista’s attorney said that the model has provided for the youngster his entire life, but she can no longer afford it. Her annual income of $1.8 million took a large drop when a contract to endorse cosmetics expired.
The model, 46, dated Pinault for a brief time at the end of 2005 and the beginning of 2006. She took him to court last year, finally identifying him as the boy’s father. He has two children from a previous marriage and told Evangelista that he was not interested in parenting a baby, but would take responsibility.
Pinault said he disagreed with her initial support demands and in 2007 he made a counteroffer. He said he did not hear from her again until the lawsuit filing in 2011.
He did not disclose how much he has given Evangelista through the years. By contrast, he testified that the daughter he shares with Hayek has a $12 million mansion in a trust.
Source: Huffington Post, “Linda Evangelista Child Support Court Battle Underway With Francois-Henri Pinault,” Jennifer Peltz, May 3, 2012