How Much Could a Divorce Cost Schwarzenegger?

Wonderwall, Monday, May 23, 2011, 1:11pm (PDT)

By Kat Giantis

Maria Shriver didn't let the media's feeding frenzy over her crumbling marriage to Arnold Schwarzenegger stop her from venturing out this weekend for some fresh air. On Saturday, she was photographed walking along a Malibu beach with her 21-year-old daughter, Katherine, and a few friends.

Chances are the group's seaside conversation steered clear of the latest rumors surrounding Arnold's newly surfaced son with a household staffer, and the mounting speculation that Shriver could haul away a truckload of cash if she ends up filing for divorce.

The New York Post reports that if Maria pulls the trigger on their marriage, it could end up being one of the most expensive celebrity splits to date.

The estranged couple is estimated to be worth anywhere from $200 million to $400 million, much of it from Arnold's box-office heyday and the strategic (not to mention wide-ranging) investments he began making early in his career.

It's believed they have a prenuptial agreement, but the paper posits that the contract could be tossed out given the length of their union (25 years) and Schwarzenegger's wandering eye (and wandering other things).

If the prenup is deemed invalid, that means Maria, who recently retained renowned divorce attorney Laura Wasser, could pocket half his fortune -- at least $200 million -- under California's 50-50 division of assets.

That's impressive even by celebrity divorce standards, coming in ahead of Tiger Woods, who coughed up a reported $100 million-plus to Elin Nordegren in 2010; Steven Spielberg, who handed over an estimated $100 million to Amy Irving after their 1989 split; Neil Diamond, who gave Marcia Murphey $150 million when their 27-year marriage petered out in the '90s; and Michael Jordan, who was $168 million poorer after his 18-year marriage to Juanita ended in 2007.

For now, money seems to be no object for Shriver. TMZ says she quietly checked out several high-priced Los Angeles condos back in January.

The units ranged from $4 million to $14 million, but she ultimately opted against buying because she felt the building was too exposed to the paparazzi.

Speaking of exposure, a day after walking on the beach with her mom, Katherine took to Twitter with a plea for some space to deal with her father's scandal.

"As my healing begins after this crazy week, I ask for privacy," she posted on Sunday. "This is only the business of my family and please respect that!"

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