He may have married a busty bride, but it turns out
Shannon Elizabeth's estranged hubby is more of an asset man.
Actor, sometime musician and former luckiest man alive Joseph Reitman is suing the American Pie star for half of all earnings, property, assets and investments she took home in the half-decade they spent cohabitating before getting married.
According to the suit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Reitman says he and Elizabeth began living together in the summer of 1997, and up until they swapped vows on June 15, 2002, the then-couple agreed "that they would be equal partners in the acquisition of assets and in financial affairs whether such transactions were separate or joint."
Which, in hindsight, was not such a good move for Elizabeth.
While she spent those five years becoming one of the breakout stars of the American Pie franchise and going on to be featured in the big-screen blowouts Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Scary Movie and Love, Actually, Reitman languished in bit TV parts, periodically popping up in the likes of Charmed and Beverly Hills, 90210.
Which didn't make for much of a nest egg.
But Reitman's suit contends that Elizabeth's acquisitions during their premarriage days exceeded more than just juicier roles.
"Real property, extensive personality holdings, net equity in business entities, business assets, and business investments, furniture, furnishings, fine artwork [and] collectibles," are all listed in the suit as holdings the actress landed prior to their vow-swapping, but holdings Reitman contends he is nevertheless entitled to half of.
He also claims that his former better half has been less than upstanding in upholding their deal, secretly transferring assets and investments from him that stem from the five year period.
Though the suit isn't all about payoff--it's also about compensation.
Reitman alleged in the suit that he compromised his own acting career in order to promote and support Elizabeth in her quest for movie stardom.
"Enhanced by plaintiff's coaching, connections, training, assistance and efforts, defendant [Elizabeth] was able to become a successful actress," the lawsuit states.
Elizabeth, 32, and Reitman, 37, tied the knot in a small beach ceremony in Mexico in June 2002, after nearly a decade of dating and even more of being friends.
Last March, after just three years as mister and missus, the duo announced that they had "mutually decided to separate [but] will remain friends." At the time of the announcement, the couple was still living together in their Los Angeles home.
In June of last year the couple officially called it quits with Elizabeth filing for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.
Source: ONTD &
http://news.yahoo.com/s/eo/20060315/...N5bnN1YmNhdA--
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