Valerie Bertinelli filed for divorce from Tom Vitale earlier this year after more than 10 years of marriage. However, things look like they’re getting messy, as Tom is requesting a large sum in spousal support despite having a prenup in place.
According to Radar Online, court documents reveal that Tom is seeking $50,000 a month from his estranged wife. He also wants $200,000 to cover his legal fees, which he says $50,000 of will go towards a forensic accountant to determine the full extent of Valerie’s wealth.
Tom claims he’s struggling to find work. He says he recently took a job at Postal Annex in Malibu for $16/hour while he tries to find something permanent. Tom was formerly a financial planner, but he says his license expired during their marriage.
“Tom's age and decades out of the field, make it unlikely that he will be a desirable candidate for a job in the investment industry,” his lawyer argued in the documents.
Tom also claims that he put a lot of time and effort into building Valerie’s businesses. So much so, it wouldn’t allow him to have a full-time job.
Valerie was reportedly giving her ex $8,000 per month since filing for divorce, but recently cut him off. She’s now asked the court to rule on the validity of their pre-nup, which states that neither she nor Tom are entitled to temporary or permanent spousal support in the event of a break-up. She’s also requesting a trial to avoid higher legal costs.
It was revealed in May that Valerie had filed for divorce after 11 years of marriage. At the time, she said they legally separated in November. The actress cited “irreconcilable differences” in the filing.
Shortly after tying the knot in 2011, Valerie revealed that she would’ve been fine without legally getting married. "I could have spent the rest of my life with Tom and not be married, but I wanted to call him 'my husband'," she told PEOPLE. "I really wanted to share how I feel about Tom with the people I love."
Valerie was previously married to Eddie Van Halen from 1981 to 2007. Following his death in October 2020 from lung cancer, Valerie referred to her ex-husband as her “soulmate” in a memoir.
A judge has yet to decide on whether Tom is entitled to spousal support or not. Court documents reveal the actress has $34 million in assets, despite only pulling in $1.5 million in 2019 and $2.3 million in 2021.
Sources: Radar Online, PEOPLE,