Summary

Billionaire mogul Kirk Kerkorian died recently and his obituary in the NY Times (1) had a small paragraph about his third wife fighting to get $320k/month in child support after being married to him for one month. The kicker is that the kid wasn't even his and the rest of the story is even stranger than fiction.

A story you can't make up

After reading his obituary, I started searching for more info on Kerkorian and his ex-wife Lisa Bonder, a former professional tennis player. The two of them were married for 28 days in 1999.

In 2002, Bonder went to court seeking $320,000 a month in child support after faking a DNA test for the child using the saliva of Kerkorian's older daughter. Kerkorian was eventually able to get DNA proof that the child wasn't his when his attorney hired Anthony Pellicano, a PI, who illegally tapped Bonder's phone. (2) The father of the child is Steve Bing, the same guy who impregnated Elizabeth Hurley but denied it until a paternity test proved the child was his. Kerkorian ended up paying $100,000 a month in child support, supposedly the largest child support award ever at the time. (3)

In 2003, Bing, the real father, agreed to pay $25,000 a month in support on top of Kerkorian's support but allegedly never paid. (4)

Around 2007, Kerkorian tries to get Bing involved in the girl's life. (4)

In 2010, the billionaire agreed to pay $10 million in back child support (read: blackmail) in addition to the ongoing $100k in exchange for her dropping the civil case related to the Pellicano wiretapping. When the child turns 19, the amount will be reduced to $50,000 a month. (3)

In 2013, Kerkorian's ex wife petitioned the court with her son (who is not Kerkorian's son) to be appointed as his conservator, claiming that he was being held hostage. Kerkorian's attorneys claimed it was a ploy to pressure him into paying $500,0000 a month in child support. His ex and her son abruptly dropped the case later that year. (5)

Also of note, Bonder is receiving $4,000 in child support from another ex-husband, Michael Gluckman. As of 2014, Gluckman was suing for full custody of their two children. (6)

Lesson(s) learned: Take your pick... AWALT, don't get married, get a paternity test, can't turn a ho into a housewife, the system is broken

(1) Kirk Kerkorian, Billionaire Investor in Film Studios and Casinos, Dies at 98

(2) Excerpts and Audio: The Pellicano Case

(3) Kirk Kerkorian settles back child support case

(4) Billionaire takes new legal tack regarding child

(5) Kirk Kerkorian ex-wife, stepson drop move for conservatorship

(6) Kerkorian ex moves on to new rich love