3:50 pm - 05/06/2012
# Linda Evangelista is demanding $46,000 in childcare support from ex-boyfriend for son Augie
# Francois-Henri Pinault revealed he spends $260,000 on gifts on himself a year but cannot remember what he bought his son for his birthday
# Pinault admitted on Thursday he broke up with Evangelista when he found out she was pregnant
# Began dating Salma Hayek months later and they now have daughter, four
Hollywood actress Salma Hayek feared she was carrying a baby with Down's syndrome, her French billionaire husband has revealed as he tackles his former flame, Linda Evangelista, in court.
On the witness stand in Manhattan for the second day, Francois-Henri Pinault explained that his wife, then 41, was having a 'very difficult pregnancy' and almost lost their daughter Valentina, now four.
'We were told the baby had Down syndrome until late May 2007,' Pinault said. 'I asked Linda to delay the legal recognition process [of son Augustin] until after the birth of Valentina.'
Evangelista, who has taken Pinault to court for $46,000 a month in child support for their five-year-old son Augie, agreed and he said he was grateful, the New York Daily News reported.
The revelation comes a day after the French billionaire revealed he broke up with Evangelista after discovering she was pregnant four months into their relationship.
The supermodel's lawyer also claimed on Thursday Pinault had demanded she have an abortion.
On Friday, as Pinault took the witness stand for the second time, details of his lavish spending came to light - and how he did not buy his son a birthday present until Evangelista complained.
He revealed he spent $260,000 in 2010 on luxury watches for himself, but could not remember what he bought Augie for his fourth birthday, or how much he had spent on the boy.
'I have a watch collection,' he said, the New York Post reported. 'It's for when I buy a watch for me.'
He went on: 'I bought him a present for his birthday and for Christmas,' yet admitted he could not remember what he bought Augie for his birthday.
And for Christmas: 'I bought it online. It was a piano thing.'
Evangelista also spent 30 minutes on the stand on Friday and revealed her humble beginnings.
'I asked my dad for a bike and he said, "No bike, go to work",' she said, adding that she began picking cherries until she worked as a model - a career which is now stalling, she said.
'There's not a lot of demand for me,' said Evangelista, whose $1.8 million annual salary took a hit last year when her contract with L'Oreal came to an end.
The four-day trial will spell out Pinault's childcare obligations. Evangelista spends $46,000 a month for their son's around-the-clock nanny and armed drivers, and wants Pinault to cover the costs.
Evangelista's lawyer William Beslow has argued that Augie deserves a lifestyle similar to that of his four-year-old daughter with Hayek.
Pinault, 49, is heir to a family estate estimated at $11.5 billion. As chief executive of PPR, the conglomerate that owns Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci and Bottega Veneta, he earns $5 million a year.
He spends $50,000 a month just on the taxes, upkeep and loan payments for the $12 million Los Angeles home he's put in trust for the girl, Valentina, the Post reported.
Despite his wealth, Pinault has criticised Evangelista for her outlandish demands, suggesting the $46,000 a month is in fact for 'mom support'.
She has maintained she is modelling or working on her image at all hours of the day.
'Most of the expenses do not relate to Augie but they relate to Ms. Evangelista,' Pinault's lawyer, David Aronson, said in opening statements on Thursday.
'It is the classic case of someone trying to bootstrap herself to something that is alimony.'
Also at the trial on Thursday, Evangelista's lawyer recounted a conversation the former couple shared in January 2006.
'After some initial happiness, he told her he wished she would terminate the pregnancy,' Beslow told a support magistrate.
Evangelista, who was then in her early 40s, told Pinault she would keep the baby. Pinault revealed the couple had spent just seven days together in four months when she made the announcement.
'She would support the child herself, since he had made it perfectly clear to her that he had no interest in doing so. And she did.'
Pinault said he found out she was pregnant in early 2006 and admitted he broke up with her on hearing the news.
'She was so happy to be pregnant,' he said. 'But it was not planned. I decided to stop the relationship at that point.' He added: 'We were dating four months and I didn't even know her very much.'
Asked why he didn’t pay Evangelista anything in child support for the first years of Augie's life, Pinault answered: 'She didn’t ask and I didn’t offer.'
In opening statements on Thursday, Beslow insisted Evangelista is not hoping to improve her station in life but that she has paid all of his expenses without a single cent from Pinault.
'Ms. Evangelista is not looking to piggyback on the lifestyle of Mr. Pinault,' Beslow said. 'She is looking for a continuation of the reasonable lifestyle of Augie.'
'I need to protect him,' Evangelista told Love magazine in February. If she is granted the $46,000 of her demands, it will shatter records for childcare payouts.
Last year a judge questioned the model's need for full-time nannies, asking how often she worked.
'When I work, it can be a 16-hour day,' she said. 'On days when I do not work, I am working on my image. I have to hit the gym. I have beauty appointments. I have to work toward my next job and maintaining my image, just like an athlete.'
Evangelista, herself worth $8 million, is also demanding Pinault give her son a home similar to the $13 million California mansion he put in a trust for his and Hayek's four-year-old daughter, Valentina.
His family estate includes the Christie’s auction house, the Château-Latour vineyard in Bordeaux and the French premiere league football team Stade Rennais, the Daily News reported.
Earlier this week, Manhattan divorce lawyer Raoul Felder said the eye-watering payout - which comes to $1,500 a day - was unlikely.
He pointed out that judges consider how much it costs to care for a child, rather than the wealth of the parents.
'She’s in for a big surprise. I wouldn’t be counting the money yet,' he told the New York Daily News.
She is worth $8 million and owns a penthouse in Chelsea, New York and an apartment near her son’s school on the upper East Side.
She broke up with billionaire and Hard Rock Cafe co-founder Peter Morton last year and filed her case against Pinault shortly after the break up.
Since, Pinault has been paying child support - although the amount has not been disclosed.
The couple dated from September 2005 until January 2006, and she was pregnant with Augie when Pinault began dating Hayek in April 2006. He and Hayek married in 2009.
Evangelista had kept the name of Augie's father secret until it was written in court papers filed in August
source
Linda Evangelista Trial: Salma Hayek Told Baby Would Have Down Syndrome
# Linda Evangelista is demanding $46,000 in childcare support from ex-boyfriend for son Augie
# Francois-Henri Pinault revealed he spends $260,000 on gifts on himself a year but cannot remember what he bought his son for his birthday
# Pinault admitted on Thursday he broke up with Evangelista when he found out she was pregnant
# Began dating Salma Hayek months later and they now have daughter, four
Hollywood actress Salma Hayek feared she was carrying a baby with Down's syndrome, her French billionaire husband has revealed as he tackles his former flame, Linda Evangelista, in court.
On the witness stand in Manhattan for the second day, Francois-Henri Pinault explained that his wife, then 41, was having a 'very difficult pregnancy' and almost lost their daughter Valentina, now four.
'We were told the baby had Down syndrome until late May 2007,' Pinault said. 'I asked Linda to delay the legal recognition process [of son Augustin] until after the birth of Valentina.'
Evangelista, who has taken Pinault to court for $46,000 a month in child support for their five-year-old son Augie, agreed and he said he was grateful, the New York Daily News reported.
The revelation comes a day after the French billionaire revealed he broke up with Evangelista after discovering she was pregnant four months into their relationship.
The supermodel's lawyer also claimed on Thursday Pinault had demanded she have an abortion.
On Friday, as Pinault took the witness stand for the second time, details of his lavish spending came to light - and how he did not buy his son a birthday present until Evangelista complained.
He revealed he spent $260,000 in 2010 on luxury watches for himself, but could not remember what he bought Augie for his fourth birthday, or how much he had spent on the boy.
'I have a watch collection,' he said, the New York Post reported. 'It's for when I buy a watch for me.'
He went on: 'I bought him a present for his birthday and for Christmas,' yet admitted he could not remember what he bought Augie for his birthday.
And for Christmas: 'I bought it online. It was a piano thing.'
Evangelista also spent 30 minutes on the stand on Friday and revealed her humble beginnings.
'I asked my dad for a bike and he said, "No bike, go to work",' she said, adding that she began picking cherries until she worked as a model - a career which is now stalling, she said.
'There's not a lot of demand for me,' said Evangelista, whose $1.8 million annual salary took a hit last year when her contract with L'Oreal came to an end.
The four-day trial will spell out Pinault's childcare obligations. Evangelista spends $46,000 a month for their son's around-the-clock nanny and armed drivers, and wants Pinault to cover the costs.
Evangelista's lawyer William Beslow has argued that Augie deserves a lifestyle similar to that of his four-year-old daughter with Hayek.
Pinault, 49, is heir to a family estate estimated at $11.5 billion. As chief executive of PPR, the conglomerate that owns Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci and Bottega Veneta, he earns $5 million a year.
He spends $50,000 a month just on the taxes, upkeep and loan payments for the $12 million Los Angeles home he's put in trust for the girl, Valentina, the Post reported.
Despite his wealth, Pinault has criticised Evangelista for her outlandish demands, suggesting the $46,000 a month is in fact for 'mom support'.
She has maintained she is modelling or working on her image at all hours of the day.
'Most of the expenses do not relate to Augie but they relate to Ms. Evangelista,' Pinault's lawyer, David Aronson, said in opening statements on Thursday.
'It is the classic case of someone trying to bootstrap herself to something that is alimony.'
Also at the trial on Thursday, Evangelista's lawyer recounted a conversation the former couple shared in January 2006.
'After some initial happiness, he told her he wished she would terminate the pregnancy,' Beslow told a support magistrate.
Evangelista, who was then in her early 40s, told Pinault she would keep the baby. Pinault revealed the couple had spent just seven days together in four months when she made the announcement.
'She would support the child herself, since he had made it perfectly clear to her that he had no interest in doing so. And she did.'
Pinault said he found out she was pregnant in early 2006 and admitted he broke up with her on hearing the news.
'She was so happy to be pregnant,' he said. 'But it was not planned. I decided to stop the relationship at that point.' He added: 'We were dating four months and I didn't even know her very much.'
Asked why he didn’t pay Evangelista anything in child support for the first years of Augie's life, Pinault answered: 'She didn’t ask and I didn’t offer.'
In opening statements on Thursday, Beslow insisted Evangelista is not hoping to improve her station in life but that she has paid all of his expenses without a single cent from Pinault.
'Ms. Evangelista is not looking to piggyback on the lifestyle of Mr. Pinault,' Beslow said. 'She is looking for a continuation of the reasonable lifestyle of Augie.'
'I need to protect him,' Evangelista told Love magazine in February. If she is granted the $46,000 of her demands, it will shatter records for childcare payouts.
Last year a judge questioned the model's need for full-time nannies, asking how often she worked.
'When I work, it can be a 16-hour day,' she said. 'On days when I do not work, I am working on my image. I have to hit the gym. I have beauty appointments. I have to work toward my next job and maintaining my image, just like an athlete.'
Evangelista, herself worth $8 million, is also demanding Pinault give her son a home similar to the $13 million California mansion he put in a trust for his and Hayek's four-year-old daughter, Valentina.
His family estate includes the Christie’s auction house, the Château-Latour vineyard in Bordeaux and the French premiere league football team Stade Rennais, the Daily News reported.
Earlier this week, Manhattan divorce lawyer Raoul Felder said the eye-watering payout - which comes to $1,500 a day - was unlikely.
He pointed out that judges consider how much it costs to care for a child, rather than the wealth of the parents.
'She’s in for a big surprise. I wouldn’t be counting the money yet,' he told the New York Daily News.
She is worth $8 million and owns a penthouse in Chelsea, New York and an apartment near her son’s school on the upper East Side.
She broke up with billionaire and Hard Rock Cafe co-founder Peter Morton last year and filed her case against Pinault shortly after the break up.
Since, Pinault has been paying child support - although the amount has not been disclosed.
The couple dated from September 2005 until January 2006, and she was pregnant with Augie when Pinault began dating Hayek in April 2006. He and Hayek married in 2009.
Evangelista had kept the name of Augie's father secret until it was written in court papers filed in August
source
They are very close friends so it's understandable.
he can afford it easy, and it'd help him in the long run regardless
this guy's just bitter and a grade A dickface
e: oh it's not in this case. that'll teach me to get mad at nothing.
Edited at 2012-05-07 12:01 am (UTC)
She worked the fuck outta that billionaire ass hole and good for her in securing her daughter's future. So many daughters are screwed when sons are born.
This is a reversal of fortune.
if linda's career is really taking a hit, she better be getting out of bed for less than 10k a day
Edited at 2012-05-06 11:15 pm (UTC)
Together you will be victorious
Damn, bb. Your shade is usually better
Valentina is starting to look more like Mr. Hayek as she's aging. She was adorable and looked more like Salma when she was born.
Amen.
DARK-SAHDED
sounds like she only started asking for support once her career stalled rather than doing it immediately.
No surprise there.
That's all the answer that should be required.
I can't imagine finding out I was pregnant and then having my SO leave me because of it, talk about a double punch
Edited at 2012-05-06 11:20 pm (UTC)
iTA that he can def. afford to pay such a large sum for child support, but it all depends on what the judge believes :/