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David Geffen (L) and now-estranged husband Donovan Michaels (R), sitting court side at NBA Los Angeles Lakers game, April 2023.
The music mogul’s messy divorce saga has a new development.
The fiery legal battle between music mogul David Geffen and his estranged husband, David Armstrong (a.k.a. Donovan Michaels), continues. This week, the new development came in the form of legal documents obtained by TMZ, in which Armstrong accused Geffen of hiding his finances to subvert California's financial disclosure laws, "in an effort to achieve aggressive spousal support limitations,” the court documents report, per TMZ.
Back in May, Geffen filed for divorce from Armstrong, citing "irreconcilable differences," and the couple did not sign a prenuptial agreement. Not too long after the split, the husband requested spousal support from the billionaire, who owns multiple record labels and is a co-founder of DreamWorks Animation alongside Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg.
The court issued an order in May for the two men to provide their financial documents, which involves "statements, valuations, important facts, and access to records about all current income and expenses and community and separate property assets and debts," the legal documents obtained by People said. But now, it seems Geffen is holding out, and Armstrong feels the situation is "completely unfair," likening it to a "case of David and Goliath."
Armstrong goes on to claim that he is being unfairly outspent and that Geffen is "prepared to win by any means necessary." He adds that he feels the music mogul should share his financial records so the divorce can proceed. In September, Geffen filed a motion to have the money he's spent on Armstrong after their divorce credited towards the spousal support he was willing to pay: $50,000 a month for 12 months. According to TMZ, he says he gave his ex $200,000 in cash since they split back in February, and he dolled out $200,000 to send Armstrong to rehab. This is on top of the $15,000-a-month apartment that he says Armstrong lives in rent-free, which Geffen owns.
There was also a civil lawsuit that Armstrong opened against Geffen, alleging that the 82-year-old businessman weaponized the 32-year-old's trauma against him for "personal gratification and public image," but he ended up withdrawing that suit on Tuesday.
Moises Mendez II is an Out Magazine staff writer based in Brooklyn, New York. He covers internet culture and entertainment, including television, movies, music, and more. Before joining Out, he was a Culture Reporter at TIME Magazine, and he previously worked as a freelance journalist, with work appearing in The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, Fast Company, and more. Moises holds a master's degree in Arts and Culture journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.
Moises Mendez II is an Out Magazine staff writer based in Brooklyn, New York. He covers internet culture and entertainment, including television, movies, music, and more. Before joining Out, he was a Culture Reporter at TIME Magazine, and he previously worked as a freelance journalist, with work appearing in The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, Fast Company, and more. Moises holds a master's degree in Arts and Culture journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.
