Singer Natalie Maines’ break-up from her husband, actor Adrian Pasdar, continues to get media attention. The Lubbock native, who’s best known as the outspoken lead singer of the Dixie Chicks, drew up a prenuptial agreement with Pasdar back in 2000 before the two married.
Pasdar is now challenging that prenup. He initially claimed in court documents that he “does not recall the events related to the drafting and negotiation of the prenuptial agreement….”
Apparently, his memory was refreshed. Now he agrees that the two “signed a valid enforceable agreement at that time.” However, he reportedly hasn’t agreed to sign a document stipulating that.
The prenup states that in a divorce, both Maines and Pasdar would retain the property they owned when they got married. It also stipulates that all royalties earned from their careers would remain separate. This, of course, includes the royalties from the Dixie Chicks’ many hit songs.
However, Pasdar objects to the provision in the prenup that stipulates that neither partner would receive spousal support if they divorced. His attorneys are calling that provision “unconscionable.”
They point to the vast difference between the income and assets of the two. His attorneys have told the court that “Adrian lacks the financial resources from which to support himself and their children at a level anywhere near the marital standard.”
Maines has accused her estranged husband of trying to wear her down and agree to pay spousal support. She is asking that he pay over $6,000 in sanctions for dragging out the divorce and failing to produce requested documents, including the signed stipulation that the prenup is valid.
At latest report, Pasdar hasn’t complied with his estranged wife’s requests. A judge hasn’t issued a final ruling in the case.
Even the most carefully crafted prenup can’t anticipate all the changes in a couple’s circumstances. Some types of careers can have a sharper up-and-down trajectory than others. Couples have the option of getting a postnuptial agreement if circumstances warrant changes to a prenup. Of course, both parties have to agree to that.
It’s best to anticipate as many potential changes — good and bad — as possible when drafting a prenup. Experienced Texas family law attorneys can help couples do that.