Congratulations to Jim Nantz on deciding to end his marriage to his spendthrift wife, apparently in favor of his 29 year old girlfriend.
It seems that the missus was costing Nantz a little more than she was worth. He attributed the failure of their relationship to his wife’s propensity to waste his hard earned money:
Sitting on a makeshift stand before the court, Nantz grew teary as he testified, blaming the marriage's demise on his wife's lavish spending habits… Nantz told [the Court] that while he was traveling around the country for work, his wife stayed home and went on excessive shopping sprees
In nine years, Lorrie Nantz spent close to $1 million at a high-end clothing and jewelry store in Westport, Conn
That works out to roughly $9K a month, which would be plenty to live a comfortable lifestyle if it were gross income, much less disposable income after taxes, savings, living expenses, etc. I think an average person would have to make an concerted effort to burn through that kind of money.
But here’s the kicker. It seems her spending was so out of control that even she couldn’t keep track of it all:
Last month she bought a $12,000 necklace at the posh store, but when pressed on its description, she could not remember details. "I think it has some sort of stone," Lorrie Nantz told the court
All these tidbits make for some good jokes, but from my perspective however, none of them are all that offensive. If Jim Nantz is able and willing to finance his wife and family’s lavish lifestyle, good for him. What I have a problem with, is a legal system that will (probably) intervene in this interpersonal relationship and dictate that, because of his career success and past generosity, this man should be compelled to pay his ex-wife a stipend in perpetuity, after they split.
According to Mrs. Nantz that stipend should include:
…alimony as well as more than $1.5 million-per-year in child support for the couple's 15-year-old daughter, Caroline, [and] the family's six bedroom home in Westport, Conn.
Of course, the idea that $1.5M/year is the cost of raising a child is preposterous. But if you still aren't convinced of my theory that child support has nothing to do with raising a child, read on:
Lorrie Nantz said that she wants to care for the child's daughter even though she has a full-time nanny.
In case you missed it, that’s a full time nanny for a 15 year old. I guess someone has to change the diapers, right?
