For many couples in Texas who are getting married, a prenuptial agreement can ensure that, should the couple ever divorce, that an agreement is in place that will cover potentially contentious issues such as property division. However, even though a prenup is in place, people will from time to time claim that they ought not to be bound by it for some reason. In most instances, it takes extraordinary circumstances for a prenuptial agreement to be thrown out.
Such is the case for football legend Deion Sanders, whose divorce from his wife Pilar has dragged on since 2011. The two sides have differed on almost all aspects of the split including the prenuptial agreement that the two signed. Pilar Sanders argued that it was not a valid agreement because her portion of the document was partially forged.
However, an arbitrator in Collin County ruled that the agreement was in fact valid. In another ruling in the case last week, a jury awarded Deion Sanders sole conservatorship for two of the couple’s children; the pair were both named as conservators for their third child. This means that Deion Sanders will no longer have to pay child support to his estranged wife on behalf of the children.
Divorces, particularly when they involve people with high incomes and large amounts of property, can be contentious. While many couples might think that the mere act of agreeing on a prenuptial agreement could undermine a future marriage, it often serves to make what might otherwise be a contentious breakup a little less painful.
Source: NBCDFW, “Prenuptial Agreement Will Stand in Sanders Divorce,” March 20, 2013