Legal Perspective

Marital Settlement (TV Style)

February 16, 2007
By: Brian C. Vertz

I heard about it, and read about it (thanks, Death&Taxes!), but I didn’t see the episode of the TV series 30 Rock when Jack and his wife Bianca settled their divorce. The negotiations were heated:

Bianca: I want our divorce to be final.
Jack: All right. I want back all the jewelry I ever bought you.
Bianca: Fine.
Jack: I want the art supplies that I gave you on your 40th birthday, and any subsequent art projects you made with them.
Bianca: Fine.
Jack: I want all of our love letters.
Bianca: (chuckling and waving her hand) Oh, fine.
Jack: I want all of your parents’ love letters.
Bianca: Fine.
Jack: I want full stake in the Arby’s franchises we bought outside of Telluride.
Bianca: Oh, damnit Johnny, you know I love my Big Beef n’ Cheddar!

As one of my colleagues tells her clients: “It’s not about the toaster, but it’s really about the toaster.”

About the Author

Brian C. Vertz

With an MBA and more than two decades of experience handling complex financial affairs, Partner Brian C. Vertz excels at cases involving assessment of personal assets including premarital wealth and trusts, valuation of closely held businesses, executive compensation, medical and dental practices, and complex child support litigation. Brian was selected as the Pittsburgh 2019 Lawyer of the Year for family law through The Best Lawyers in America peer review process.