Update: Former supermodel Linda Evangelista clashed in court with Frenchman Francois-Henri Pinault over child support for her son fathered by the Gallic tycoon, one of France’s wealthiest men.
In what could be one of the most expensive child support cases ever, Evangelista wants $46,000 a month for 5-year-old Augustin, including a bodyguard, a driver and a 24-hour nanny, according to a list by Pinault’s lawyers.
Evangelista’s attorney William Beslow disputed the amount, but gave no figure for how much the Canadian ex-model is seeking to support “Augie” from billionaire Pinault.
Dressed in dark glasses and Louboutin high heels, Evangelista on Thursday arrived 15 minutes late for the hearing in a Manhattan family court, before the 49-year-old Frenchman took the stand first.
Pinault, who heads the PPR luxury goods conglomerate whose brands include Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, testified for more than an hour, and was pressed at length about his “incredible” wealth.
Previous: Francois-Henri Pinault, Salma Hayek’s multi-billionaire husband fathered supermodel Linda Evangelista’s 4-year-old son, Augustin James Evangelista, born on October 11, 2006. According to reports, Hayek and Pinault met in May 2006, announced their engagement and her pregnancy in 2007, broke up in 2008, reconciled and were married on Valentine’s Day 2009.
Evangelista’s son was born in October 2006, which means that her baby was conceived before Hayek and Pinault had even met. Pinault, who is the CEO of PPR — a company that owns Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent. The Pinault family’s luxury goods empire is reportedly worth $16-18 billion. Pinault’s 2010 salary was $5.4 million, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. In New York, where the court papers were filed, the law requires a father to pay 17 percent of what he earns in child support. This would mean Pinault should owe around $920,000 for that year.
In addition to his daughter with Hayek, Pinault also has two children from a previous marriage. He is yet to publicly acknowledge Evangelista’s son as his. (Below are photos of Linda Evangelista and Francois-Henri Pinault’s son Augustin James Evangelista.)
