Will The Pandemic Delay Bill And Melinda Gates' Divorce Proceedings In Court?

Melinda Gates divorce petition: The high profile divorce between billionaires Bill Gates and Melinda Gates has been making headlines since the couple announced it on Monday.

According to People, Melinda Gates filed for divorce in Washington's King County. According to the petition, the couple has decided to divide their assets and doesn't have a prenuptial agreement. Melinda in her petition also said that she doesn't need "spousal support". The marriage between Bill and Melinda Gates is "irretrievably broken" according to the divorce petition.

The petition also revealed that the couple had been separated before they filed for divorce. Melinda in her petition wrote, "We ask the court to dissolve our marriage and find that our marital community ended on the date stated in our separation contract."

Since some pandemic restrictions are still in place, the couple will appear in court on April 2022 for a hearing. They have been given an alternate dispute resolution date of March 2022. The review of the case will be done in September later that year.

More on Melinda Gates Divorce Petition:

Melinda Gates along with her divorce petition filed a temporary order seeking financial restrictions. This will make Bill and her unable to dispose of their property or make changes to any of their insurance policies or assets. In case of any change required, the court order is necessary or agreement between both the parties. Both Melinda and Bill will have access to all legal, tax, household and financial records moving forward.

The couple decided to end their marriage after 27 years of being together. They also share three children, one son and two daughters. The youngest daughter Phoebe Adele is 18-years-old, Jennifer Katherine is 25 and her son Rory John is 21 years old.

The couple shared a joint statement on Monday, May 3 about their divorce. They wrote that they "no longer believe we can grow together as a couple".

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— Bill Gates (@BillGates) May 3, 2021

They added, "After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage. Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives"

Bill and Melinda will continue to work together for their foundation which has a net worth of $40 billion. "We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life," the statement concluded.