March 19, 2007: Have McCartney & Mills Finally Let it Be?

Does the lack of a denial make something true? If so, then perhaps since Paul McCartney and Heather Mills have not attempted to dispel recent reports that they have come to terms in their bitter divorce -- we can assume they have finally settled, although neither camp has confirmed any of the exact details of this much-publicized case.

After a four-year marriage which included much public discord and charges of spousal abuse, the couple began divorce proceedings last July.  The vast majority of reports are now claiming that McCartney 64, has agreed to pay his estranged wife, 39, a total of $56 million in cash and property. Allegedly, Mills has finally dropped her push for the settlement she was supposedly seeking of $6.6 million a year (about $20,000 a day!), and sole custody of three-year-old Beatrice.   And presumably their bevy of barristers have helped them to work out some form of joint custody arrangement with regard to their daughter.

One thing that is interesting about this case is how many “professional” analysts had first predicted that Mills might stand to “win” up to $250 million of the billionaire Beatle's fortune because the couple did NOT have a prenuptial agreement. The very notion that Mills could possibly reap such a windfall after such a short marriage reflects the common thinking among many laypeople that divorce court can be similar to the lawless Wild West.  In fact, divorce law is just the opposite: cases are typically settled based on a set of very specific criteria.  I suspect that the alleged $56 million settlement was most likely determined by assessing McCartney's particular income during the course of the four-year marriage, and then dividing it between the two.

Now, if McCartney and Mills can only Let It Be.  On a related note, in recent reports, Mills has stated that she "will always love Paul."  She said "he's the father of my child and I'll always have strong feelings for him."  Let's hope that at the very least, that will translate to parental civility in front of little Beatrice going forward.

WENDY JAFFE, Esq. is the author of "The Divorce Lawyers' Guide to Staying Married."  You can get more of Jaffe's advice and hear a podcast interview at AOL.com, and you may also visit her website at divorcelawyersguide.com.

Previous stories:

• Counseling helping McCartney cope with divorce
• McCartney Mills divorce takes ugly turn
• Sir Paul McCartney cites “unreasonable behavior,” files for divorce from Heather
• Sir Paul McCartney, Heather Mills McCartney to divorce

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