Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have decided to part ways after two years of marriage. The couple, who rekindled their romance nearly two decades after their first engagement, have filed for divorce, marking the end of their high-profile relationship. J.Lo filed for divorce in the Los Angeles County Superior Court on 20 August 2024, citing their separation date as 26 April 2024. According to media reports, the court documents revealed that there was no pre-nuptial agreement, which could complicate the distribution of their reported combined net worth of USD640m.

The couple’s decision to marry without a pre-nup has raised eyebrows, given their substantial assets and previous marriages. A pre-nuptial agreement can protect wealth accrued prior to marriage, inherited wealth and regulate how assets are to be divided in the event of a divorce. Whilst the couple have been married for just two years, the total length of their relationship is likely to be a factor and could result in a more generous financial settlement being awarded to the financially weaker party, in this case Ben Affleck.

Certainly without a pre-nup, there will be much more for the lawyers to argue about. To minimise this uncertainty, and particularly against a backdrop of very significant wealth accrued prior to the marriage, a pre-nuptial agreement would have been well advised.