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Couples Use Relationship Agreements, Lifestyle Clauses to Outline Desires
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Couples Use Relationship Agreements, Lifestyle Clauses to Outline Desires

On Behalf of | Jan 15, 2018 | Divorce

San Diego, CA – Some of the country’s most well-known power couples have gotten creative with how they place parameters on their relationships.

Between relationship agreements, lifestyle clauses and dating terms of engagement, it is as though the standard prenuptial agreement has become practically passé in some circles. Almost.

We combed the Internet in search of the most interesting relationship and prenuptial agreements that have been reported on in the past several years. Here’s what we found.

Get Your Face Off Facebook

It is said that before they were married, Priscilla Chan and Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg signed a relationship agreement. In it, Chan made Zuckerberg agree to take her “on a date once a week and spend 100 minutes of alone time each week with her outside the office or his apartment,” MSN reports.

Give it to Me

The money, that is. That’s apparently what Jessica Biele and Catherine Zeta-Jones told their husbands via legal agreements. Biele and Justin Timberlake are said to have addressed infidelity in a lifestyle clause. If he cheats, she gets $500,000.

The clause Michael Douglas and Zeta-Jones signed requires Douglas to pony up $2.8 million per year of marriage if they divorce, and an additional $5 million if Douglas is caught cheating, according to the New York Daily News, which reported in 2013 that lifestyle clauses were on the rise.

Making Lemonade

It’s no secret that singer Beyoncé Knowles made some wildly popular lemonade from her marital lemons in the form of a hit album in 2016. Jay-Z has admitted to cheating on his wife. MSN reports that Beyoncé and her rapper husband have a prenuptial agreement that gives her $5 million for each child they have together, as well as $1 million a year for every year they were married up to 15 years, should they divorce. It is unclear whether infidelity is addressed in it.

The couple reportedly signed a postnuptial agreement in 2016 that details how their combined $1 billion fortune is divided in the event of divorce, Radar Online reports.

Booze Ain’t Your Color

Country singer Keith Urban and actress Nicole Kidman signed a prenup that states if the couple divorces, Urban would receive $600,000 a year for every year they are together – provided he did not use illegal narcotics or drink excessively, according to MSN.

Not on My Watch

Pop culture outlets had a field day when actress Katie Holmes and singer/actor Jamie Foxx were spotted holding hands in September. It is reported the couple has dated for years, but were never seen in public because a clause in her divorce settlement with Tom Cruise prohibited her from dating in public for a period of time, according to MarketWatch.

You Won’t Always be My Baby

We’re unsure whether it was due to a relationship agreement, but pop music diva Mariah Carey received a serious pay-out after she and James Packer called off their engagement, according to Entertainment Tonight. She asked for a $50 million “inconvenience fee” and reportedly received a “multi-million dollar settlement.” She also got to keep her $2 million engagement ring.

Items Addressed in Relationship Agreements

Relationship agreements could involve a vacation, savings goals or infidelity, New York attorney and love contract specialist Ann-Margaret Carrozza told the Daily News. Legal experts report that issues such as whether a mother-in-law is welcome on the couple’s vacation, and how much TV a spouse watches also get included in these agreements.

If you think those sound outlandish, Men’s Health magazine found these additional items that have been found in the lifestyle clauses section of prenuptial agreements:

  • Social media use- Clauses have outlined how much time is spent on social media, as well as what spouses or significant others are allowed to post.
  • Frequency of sex
  • Children’s education- Clauses have outlined requirements regarding public/private schooling and religious/secular schools.
  • Smoking- Whether it’s that one person in the relationship smokes and parameters are set as to where smoking can take place, or a person wants to ensure their significant other doesn’t pick up or rekindle the habit, tobacco use has been outlined in lifestyle clauses.
  • Weight- Some couples establish guidelines regarding how much weight one or both spouses may gain.

Although some of these things may seem shallow to you, it’s never a bad idea to put your relationship goals and desires in writing. And if you have substantial assets or children from a previous marriage that you want to ensure are provided for, a prenuptial agreement can be a useful tool in protecting your wishes. Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements aren’t only for the rich and famous. Lots of couples benefit from them.

If you would like to learn more about obtaining a legal agreement regarding your marriage or relationship, call us. We can help.

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