Harold Hamm could break the £1.1billion record for a settlement, set by Rupert Murdoch, when he and his wife Sue Ann go their separate ways after 25 years together.
According to the law in Oklahoma, Mr Hamm may have to hand over half the wealth he accumulated running the petrol giant ContinThe company has been subpoenaed by a US court, along with four other companies owned by Mr Hamm.
The 67-year-old made his fortune as a leading force in the American oil boom and served as the senior energy adviser to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s campaign.
Time magazine named him one of the most influential people in the world, while Forbes ranks him at 90 on its global wealth list.
Economist and lawyer Mrs Hamm, 56, has held key posts at Continental, which could play in her favour when the settlement comes to be drawn up, but she no longer works for the company.
The Hamms were married in April 1988 and have two adult children, Jane and Hilary. Mr Hamm has three children from a former marriage that ended in divorce in 1987.
In a court filing this month, Mrs Hamm alleges that her husband was having an affair, which prompted her to file for divorce.
The value of Continental Resources has rocketed during the couple’s marriage and, if there is no prenuptial agreement, Mrs Hamm could be entitled to a multi-billion-pound settlement.
Barbara Atwood, professor emeritus of family law at the University of Arizona, said: ‘I don’t know of anything that’s ever been this big. There’s just so much money involved.’
The youngest of a sharecropper’s 13 children, Mr Hamm spent his youth picking cotton, before starting his career at 20 by scrubbing the scum out of oil barrels. He worked his way up and was eventually able to drill his own wells.
Fond of eating at burger bars, he drives his own truck and is regarded as being down to earth. His big breakthrough came in the Nineties, when he helped discover the Bakken field of North Dakota, the largest new US oil prospect since the Sixties.
Among the assets to be divided up between the couple will be their four homes, including a £2million mansion in Nichols Hills, Oklahoma.
The split could dwarf that of media tycoon Mr Murdoch, who was married to first wife Anna for 32 years before divorcing in 1998.
Other stratospheric settlements include the £660million paid by Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone to ex-wife Slavica in 2009.
Daniel Jaffe, the Beverly Hills attorney who represented Anna Murdoch, said Mrs Hamm could ‘claim that a portion of her efforts went into making the company what it is today’.
He added: ‘She was married to him when the value of the company went up. She has got to be looking for a couple of billion dollars.’
Mr Hamm couldn’t be reached for comment, and an attorney for Mrs Hamm declined to comment, citing a confidentiality agreement governing the case.
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According to Business Insider, here are the top ten most expensive divorces of all time:
10. Michael and Juanita Jordan $168million
The couple also married in Las Vegas. 17 years later Juanita filed for divorce
9. Michael and Maya Polsky $184million
The founder and CEO of Invernergy LLC married his wife in the Ukraine. They were married for 31 years before Maya filed for divorce
8. Roman and Irina Abramovich $300million
The couple married in 1991 and had five children. They divorced after 16 years
7. Robert and Sheila Johnson $400million
The couple founded BET which was sold to Viacom for $3billion. After the divorce Sheila married the presiding judge
6. Mel and Robyn Gibson $425million
The Gibsons were married for 31 years. Robyn filed for divorce in 2009
The couple also married in Las Vegas. 17 years later Juanita filed for divorce
9. Michael and Maya Polsky $184million
The founder and CEO of Invernergy LLC married his wife in the Ukraine. They were married for 31 years before Maya filed for divorce
8. Roman and Irina Abramovich $300million
The couple married in 1991 and had five children. They divorced after 16 years
7. Robert and Sheila Johnson $400million
The couple founded BET which was sold to Viacom for $3billion. After the divorce Sheila married the presiding judge
6. Mel and Robyn Gibson $425million
The Gibsons were married for 31 years. Robyn filed for divorce in 2009
5. Craig and Wendy McCaw $460million
Craig made his fortune selling McCaw Cellular to AT&T. The couple split in 1998 and had been together since college
4. Stephen and Elaine Wynn $740million
They couple were married for 20 years, divorced and then remarried five years later. They divorced again in 2009 and Elaine received the fortune in company stock
3. Adnan and Soraya Khashoggi $874million
The Saudi arms dealer and businessman was divorced by his wife in 1974 after 13 years of marriage
2. Bernie and Slavica Eccelstone $1-1.2billion
The high-profile divorce was filed in 2008. The five-foot-four Formula One CEO and six foot wife made an odd couple
1. Rupert and Anna Murdoch $1.7billion
The Murdochs were married for 32 years before their divorce. 17 days later Rupert Murdoch married Wendi Deng, 30
Craig made his fortune selling McCaw Cellular to AT&T. The couple split in 1998 and had been together since college
4. Stephen and Elaine Wynn $740million
They couple were married for 20 years, divorced and then remarried five years later. They divorced again in 2009 and Elaine received the fortune in company stock
3. Adnan and Soraya Khashoggi $874million
The Saudi arms dealer and businessman was divorced by his wife in 1974 after 13 years of marriage
2. Bernie and Slavica Eccelstone $1-1.2billion
The high-profile divorce was filed in 2008. The five-foot-four Formula One CEO and six foot wife made an odd couple
1. Rupert and Anna Murdoch $1.7billion
The Murdochs were married for 32 years before their divorce. 17 days later Rupert Murdoch married Wendi Deng, 30
