Jocelyn Wildenstein was married to Alec Wildenstein when they were both in their 30s. Alec was a member of the Wildenstein family – a wealthy family of renowned art dealers. The divorce was not amicable, and has been described as “scandalous”.Jocelyn walked in on Alec Wildenstein and a 19 year old Russian model in her bedroom at the Wildenstein New York home, and was threatened by Alec with a gun. This resulted in a night in jail for Alec Wildenstein.
The presiding judge, Marilyn Diamond, received death threats in the mail during the proceedings. The marital home in New York was later sold by Ms. Wildenstein to real estate developer Janna Bullock for $13 million and required substantial renovation.
During her divorce, the judge stipulated that she could not use any alimony payments for further cosmetic surgery. She received $2.5 billion in the divorce settlement and $100 million each year for 13 years after.
During the divorce proceedings, Ms. Wildenstein enlisted the services of Ed Rollins for public relations assistance and (at various times) both Bernard Clair and Kenneth Godt for legal counsel.
