Kenny G and his ex-wife of 10 years are still dealing with divorce proceedings more than a decade after they split.
via People:
The legendary saxophonist, whose real name is Kenneth Gorelick, and Balynda “Lyndie” Benson-Gorelick married on April 5, 1992, and separated on Jan. 9, 2012. They share sons Noah Reed, now 25, and Maxwell Benson, now 29, per their original divorce court documents obtained by PEOPLE on Tuesday.
In the 10-year-old filing, Kenny was ordered to pay Balynda $30,000 a month until July 1, 2015, when he would no longer have to pay child support for their two sons. At that time, his spousal support to Balynda went up to $40,000 a month and would stay at that amount until Kenny or Balynda died or remarried.
In court documents filed last fall, Kenny, 66, asked a judge to lower the amount of spousal support he pays to Balynda each month, alleging that he doesn’t make as much money, according to The Daily Mail. He claimed, via his attorney — celebrity divorce attorney Laura Wasser — that his career has taken a hit over the last couple of years and he isn’t touring like he once was.
“Lyndie has refused to become fully self-supporting for almost 10 years. Kenny should not have to continue to bear the burden of her refusal to do so,” the documents alleged, per the outlet.
Days later, in court documents obtained by PEOPLE, a judge in the Superior Court of California for Los Angeles County noted the complex financial details of the ongoing legal battle and instead of ruling on Kenny’s request, ruled in Balynda’s favor concerning attorney’s fees.
“Underneath it all, this is a relatively straightforward case of a post-judgment modification of spousal support and enforcement of the terms of the original Judgment and ‘Further Judgment,’ ” wrote Commissioner Scott J. Nord.
He noted the “spousal support matter” and said that Kenny had already stated he earns $600,000 a month in rental income alone “with very negligible expenses.”
“In comparison to the income [Balynda] receives and funds she has access to, there can be no other finding but a significant disparity between the parties,” the ruling states, adding that Kenny’s additional income and assets haven’t even been included. Once they are, he could make five to 10 times as much as his ex-wife or more.
In the meantime, Balynda was awarded $250,000 in her request for attorney’s fees ($175,000 for past services and $75,000 for any future services) plus an additional $35,000 for future legal costs and another $35,000 for past legal costs. Her total award for attorney’s fees and legal costs equals $320,000.
Whew. He better keep blowing in that saxophone — because that’s a lot of money.
