Jamie's asking for a whole lot of money. We're going to temporarily adopt $487,634 monthly as her goal, because there's no way she'll be reinstated as Dodgers CEO. This, as we've discussed, also seems unreasonable, as Frank claims she's been paid her salary through December--making the higher figure unjustifiable during the time for which she's been paid.
Randy Youngman of the Orange County Register has a problem with Jamie's demands. Representing a growing sentiment out there amongst journalists and fans, Youngman writes:
So it's not the zeros and dollar signs in Jamie's court filing that are so repugnant; it's her attempt to justify why she "needs" an allowance of a half-million a month. According to documents obtained and published by The Associated Press, Jamie told the court the money would cover unlimited travel expenses, access to Net Jets private planes, security while traveling to dangerous locations (Dodger Stadium?), five-star hotel accommodations, business dinners five nights per week, business lunches five days per week, flowers in the office (what office?), hair and makeup for Dodgers events …
Makeup? Why didn't she just say that at the beginning? We all know how expensive that can be. I have to pay my monthly mascara (I mean football eyeblack) tab in installments.
In this economy, it's outrageous and embarrassing for her to publicly declare she requires such perks, especially when so many Dodgers fans are struggling to scrape up the money to buy single-game tickets.As fairness and justice go, Youngman's right. I dream of one day making in a year what Jamie asks for per month. But life isn't fair. One of the benefits of amassing unbelievable wealth in this country is that you can live a pretty outrageous lifestyle. Fair or not, that's what it is. A divorce in a community property state should, in theory, leave each person in approximately the same financial position alone as if the two were combined. While it is easy to criticize Jamie for begging the court to allow her such luxuries, what is the alternative? That Frank essentially double his net worth at the expense of his ex-wife, who, by many accounts, played a huge role in the family's accession to wealth?
There's something else behind Jamie's demands, as well. From a PR perspective, it's horrible for her to be making such demands of the court. But from a legal perspective, it's absolutely necessary. In negotiations, whether within or without a court room, concessions are forever. Realistically, Jamie has no hope of getting anything she doesn't ask for right now. This being the case, her demands at this stage must border on the absurd.
While I have a bit of fun joking about Jamie's need for a sufficiently-sized swimming pool--the one at the $27 million Malibu beach house just won't do!--I'm not going to crush Jamie for seeking the resources necessary to enjoy the lifestyle she and Frank spent 29.96 years achieving. I can understand how her demands could be offensive to some, and I fully recognize our collective right to think her lifestyle unnecessary, wasteful, and inappropriate given our current plight. But she's doing what she has to do in her demands, and, in this little corner of the internet, I can respect that.
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ReplyDeleteAt some level, I myself know what thoughts are correct and what is the emotional attitude can achieve the desired, in many books that read something like this
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