Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Playmate's Fun Ends when Pre-nup Upheld by Utah Appellate Court

The Utah Court of Appeals has ruled that a former Playboy Playmate, Hope Marie Carlton, must pay for her multimillionaire ex-husband's legal fees, after the judges determined she is not entitled to share in his fortune, due to a prenuptial agreement.

When the couple married, Robert Keith Levin was a multimillionaire and Carlton a 25-year-old aspiring actress and former 1985 Playboy Playmate of the Month who earned about $40K a year.

The ruling states that Carlton is not entitled to co-ownership of a luxury resort or $1.5 million in profits from land development in San Juan County. Prior to their California marriage in 1991, Carlton and Levin entered into a prenuptial agreement that protected Levin's assets from being divided in the event of a divorce.

The ruling states that at the time of the marriage Carlton was a 25-year-old aspiring actress who had sporadic parts in movies and TV shows and was making as much as $44,000 in one year. Meanwhile Levin, who was 42 and semi-retired at the time of their marriage, was a multimillionaire.

After their marriage, the couple moved to Park City "where they lived a luxurious leisure lifestyle," according to the ruling. In 1994, the couple developed the Sorrel River Ranch Resort along the Colorado River just north of Moab.

In addition to ruling against her, the Utah Court of Appeals also ordered Carlton to pay her ex-husband's legal fees of around $167,885. The ruling states the money owed will be deducted from her $15,000-a-month alimony at the rate of $2,500 a month until fully paid.

Story at the Deseret News

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Wow. What a distasteful article to write. Ex wife should sue for slander against the person who leaked the details....hmmm wonder who that is lol!