S30E13: The Unrequited $3 Billion Divorce | Sheika Dena al Fassi and Sheik Mohammed al Fassi

Back in the early 80s, divorce lawyer to the stars (and Trashy Divorces alum) Marvin Mitchelson took on the biggest case of his career - and one that seems to have gotten away from him a bit. Sheika Dena al Fassi, the wife of Saudi businessman (and Saudi royal family member) Mohammed al Fassi, was filing for divorce, and estimates of Mohammed's fortune ran as high as $3 billion. On the one hand, Dena won the divorce case handily. On the other, Mohammed had long since left the United States with their four children and had no intention of paying the settlement that a California court ordered. Even decades later - even decades after both Mohammad and Marvin Mitchelson had died - Dena was still trying to collect on a divorce settlement that grew into the hundreds of millions of dollars through the magic of compound interest. This episode originally aired on Patreon on February 26, 2025. Want early, ad-free episodes, regular Dumpster Dives, bonus divorces, limited series, Zoom hangouts, and more? Join us at patreon.com/trashydivorces! Want a personalized message for someone in your life? Check us out on Cameo! To advertise on our podcast, please reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What this episode covers

Back in the early 80s, divorce lawyer to the stars (and Trashy Divorces alum) Marvin Mitchelson took on the biggest case of his career - and one that seems to have gotten away from him a bit. Sheika Dena al Fassi, the wife of Saudi businessman (and Saudi royal family member) Mohammed al Fassi, was filing for divorce, and estimates of Mohammed's fortune ran as high as $3 billion. On the one hand, Dena won the divorce case handily. On the other, Mohammed had long since left the United States with their four children and had no intention of paying the settlement that a California court ordered. Even decades later - even decades after both Mohammad and Marvin Mitchelson had died - Dena was still trying to collect on a divorce settlement that grew into the hundreds of millions of dollars through the magic of compound interest. This episode originally aired on Patreon on February 26, 2025. Want early, ad-free episodes, regular Dumpster Dives, bonus divorces, limited series, Zoom hangouts, and more? Join us at patreon.com/trashydivorces! Want a personalized message for someone in your life? Check us out on Cameo! To advertise on our podcast, please reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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This episode was published on September 3, 2025.

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