August 24, 2010 5:39 PM

Michael Douglas' Ex Clashing Over "Wall Street" Cash In New York

By
Devon Thomas
Topics
Movies

Michael Douglas on June 10, 2010. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

NEW YORK (CBS/AP) "Money Never Sleeps" and neither do decade-old Hollywood divorces.

PICTURES: Michael Douglas

The former Mrs. Michael Douglas, Diandra Douglas, has filed a new lawsuit over the actor's upcoming "Wall Street" sequel on Tuesday, claiming she's entitled to half his earnings from "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," set to open Sept. 24.

The dispute has featured accusations of avarice on both sides and an unusually detailed look at Hollywood-style divorce.

The couple's 23-year marriage ended in 2000. He's now married to Oscar-winning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, 40.

The former couple's multimillion-dollar separation gives Diandra Douglas the right to share in proceeds from spinoffs and other projects related to work Michael Douglas did while they were married.

That should include director Oliver Stone's "Wall Street" follow-up, in which Michael Douglas reprises and updates his Oscar-winning role as Gordon Gekko, who famously declared "greed is good" also became a slogan or an epithet for the 1980s, depending on one's perspective.

But Michael Douglas' lawyer says his ex is misinterpreting the agreement, and it doesn't apply to the "Wall Street" sequel.

Since their divorce, Diandra Douglas has made $6.3 million from her stake in residual proceeds from other past projects, Chinitz said.

Diandra Douglas' lawyer says her client isn't money-hungry and isn't clinging to her ex-husband's coattails.

Michael Douglas' side also says the dispute belongs in Santa Barbara, Calif., where the couple hammered out a divorce agreement so extensive that the particulars are recorded in an hours-long videotape made before a judge, according to Chinitz.

Diandra Douglas chose to pursue the case in New York, where she and the actor both have homes.

Neither Douglas was in court Tuesday. State Supreme Court Justice Matthew F. Cooper didn't issue a ruling or set a timeframe for one.

Insights into the former couple's life together were bared earlier this year, when their son, Cameron, faced sentencing after pleading guilty to a federal drug charge for dealing methamphetamine from a trendy Manhattan hotel. In a letter to his son's judge, Michael Douglas described their union as a "bad marriage."



Add a Comment
by WeMadeAmistake August 25, 2010 4:18 PM EDT
.....and the moral of the story is, marriage is too risky and far too punitive. Stay single and if you need sex, just go buy some. It is a lot cheaper. This current situation sounds a great deal like his other film.....War of the Roses.
Reply to this comment
by Objectivity August 25, 2010 1:18 PM EDT
"Since their divorce, Diandra Douglas has made $6.3 million from her stake in residual proceeds from other past projects..."

And this is the society we have created with marriage...an expectation that someone will take care of you for the rest of your life and you really don't have to do anything but hire an attorney. Situations like this make marriage such an incredible dumb move for anyone who has any plans to be successful. It's great for those that plan on living off of others. $6.3 Million not enough? Really? But wait, she is "owed" that money, right? For what? Seriously, reward someone for getting a divorce and guess what happens? Hmmmm... Brain surgery? I think not. Kudos America, you've used marriage as a social tool to distribute wealth...in a way that sounds good. Yeah, that's the ticket.
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by freechoice4all August 24, 2010 11:21 PM EDT
this wall street movie is not a spin off dumb @ss! a spin of would be "Joey" from "Friends" or Archie's Place" from "All in the Family". this is a sequel just as Matrix, lord of the rings, back to the future, etc, etc all had sequels (not spin-offs).

You must be a disgrutaled money grubbing womam too!
Reply to this comment
by pragmatist1 August 24, 2010 9:36 PM EDT
...well, if the divorce decree does in fact entitle his former wife to a take on the spin-offs, like Wall Street, then show the lady the money...seems like Douglas is trying to squirm out of something he agreed to years ago...maybe they should have called the sequel something different...
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