--- title: Lessons From a $1 Billion Divorce Settlement description: Oil tycoon Harold Hamm has to pay his ex-wife, Sue Ann, $1 billion. Even if you and your spouse don't have those bucks, pay attention. authors: - name: moneyeditor url: https://money.com/author/moneyeditor/ at_money_since: 2014 articles: 6 covers: - Housing - Investing - Lifestyle - Retirement former_staff: true published: '2014-11-11T16:22:07.000Z' modified: '2024-05-07T08:59:03.000Z' section: Personal Finance tags: - $1 billion - alimony - Divorce - harold hamm - Love and Money - Marriage - prenups - prenuptial agreements - sue ann hamm word_count: 242 canonical: https://money.com/hamm-billion-dollar-divorce-settlement-alimony-lessons/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Harold Hamm, founder and CEO of Continental Resources, enters the courthouse for divorce proceedings with wife Sue Ann Hamm in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma September 22, 2014.](https://img.money.com/2014/11/141111_ff_hamm.jpg?crop=0px%2C72px%2C3500px%2C1969px&quality=85) *Harold Hamm, founder and CEO of Continental Resources, enters the courthouse for divorce proceedings with wife Sue Ann Hamm in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma September 22, 2014.* In one of the largest divorce settlements on record, the chairman and CEO of energy giant Continental Resources was ordered Monday to pay his ex-wife $995.4 million, according to the [Associated Press](http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/ap/energy-tycoon-ordered-to-pay-ex-wife-nearly-b/article_dfa8bdca-26d8-5a18-962d-21c97f8a6a20.html). As part of an Oklahoma judge's ruling, Harold Hamm must pay his ex-wife, Sue Ann Hamm, $322 million by the end of the year, and pay off the rest of the money in monthly installments of at least $7 million. The ruling, which [Forbes](http://www.forbes.com/profile/harold-hamm/) estimates will leave Harold Hamm with a fortune of $14 billion, is a vivid illustration of the economic impact that a breakup can have on divorcing spouses at any level of wealth. Unlike many wealthy couples, the Hamms had not entered into a prenuptial agreement, according to the [New York Times](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/11/business/harold-hamm-oklahoma-oilman-billion-dollar-divorce.html). Such an agreement usually establishes how a couple will divide property and provide for spousal support in the event of a divorce, in place of relying on state laws. While Sue Ann Hamm seems to be walking away from this marriage financially set, Money contributer [Lili Vasileff](https://money.com/author/lili-a-vasileff), who works with divorcing and divorced clients, notes that wives are often financially shortchanged in a breakup. Here she explains the [Seven Biggest Money Mistakes That Divorcing Women Make](https://money.com/biggest-financial-mistakes-divorcing-women-make/). Elsewhere, she discusses how [lifetime alimony](https://money.com/alimony-forever-reform-lifetime/) has become a lightning rod for criticism. As for prenuptial agreements, Money contributing editor Farnoosh Torabi points out that they're not just for wealthy folks and celebrities. 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