It is so unfortunate that Sue Ann Arnall, the ex-wife of
Oklahoma oil magnate Harold Hamm, vowed on Monday to press on with an
appeal of her divorce case, even after she cashed a $975 million check
from him.
Sue Ann Hamm stands in the courthouse hall before divorce proceedings with Harold Hamm, founder and CEO of Continental Resources, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma September 22, 2014. REUTERS/Steve Sisney
A divorce settlement check from Harold Hamm, chief executive of oil driller Continental Resources, to ex-wife Sue Ann Arnall in the amount of $974.8 million is shown in this image from a court document released to Reuters on January 6, 2015. REUTERS/District Court of Oklahoma County
"The Oklahoma state law is clear that the acceptance of the benefits nullifies her appeal," said Michael Burrage, one of Hamm's lawyers.
He called Arnall's appeal after accepting Hamm's payment "a classic case of wanting her cake and eating it too."
Last week, another of Hamm's lawyers, Craig Box, said Arnall's deposit of the oil man's check in an Oklahoma City bank was likely to end her case.
The Hamm divorce has been proceeding since 2012, and the November ruling was among the largest settlements for a U.S. divorce.
Last month, Hamm also pledged to appeal the decision after a sharp fall in oil prices cut billions from his personal fortune. The earlier court ruling allowed Hamm to retain his 68 percent stake in Continental.
In
November, an Oklahoma court ordered the Continental Resources Inc chief
executive to pay his ex-wife about $1 billion in cash and assets when
the couple divorced after a 26-year marriage. The check for $975
million, which Arnall cashed last week, represented the entire balance
owed by Hamm, according to the court's decision.
Arnall has appealed the case in the Oklahoma Supreme
Court, claiming the earlier ruling allowed Hamm to keep the vast
majority of a marital estate worth up to $18 billion.
"I will not dismiss my appeal and do not feel that my
right to appeal should be denied because I have accepted, in the
interim, a small portion of the estate that we built over more than two
decades," Arnall said in a statement through her lawyers.
Responding to the news, Hamm filed a request with Oklahoma's
Supreme Court seeking to get Arnall's appeal tossed out on the grounds
she has already accepted the benefits of the earlier ruling."The Oklahoma state law is clear that the acceptance of the benefits nullifies her appeal," said Michael Burrage, one of Hamm's lawyers.
He called Arnall's appeal after accepting Hamm's payment "a classic case of wanting her cake and eating it too."
Last week, another of Hamm's lawyers, Craig Box, said Arnall's deposit of the oil man's check in an Oklahoma City bank was likely to end her case.
The Hamm divorce has been proceeding since 2012, and the November ruling was among the largest settlements for a U.S. divorce.
Last month, Hamm also pledged to appeal the decision after a sharp fall in oil prices cut billions from his personal fortune. The earlier court ruling allowed Hamm to retain his 68 percent stake in Continental.
