Wife makes $54m divorce claim for lavish lifestyle A MELBOURNE woman asked for a $54 million divorce settlement to cover expenses including cosmetic surgery, a holiday house and a dog. The wife, in her 50s, created the wish list with the help of an actuary who calculated how much money she would need for the rest of her life. It was claimed the woman would need $4.9 million to maintain her lifestyle, with $780,000 to cover jewellery, clothing and cosmetic surgery, and $1.4 million to upgrade TVs, coffee tables, cutlery and other furniture in her home. The claim also included money to cover an extra adult travelling on holiday in case she needed a nanny or personal trainer and a dog and mobile dog-washing service for the pet they had promised their children. But the woman's businessman husband - who has amassed a fortune of $435 million - claimed she was being unreasonable and wanted to give her only $6.3 million. The husband, in his 60s, argued her slice of their wealth should be reduced because in the last years of their relationship, she drank until she passed out. The Family Court heard the pair had two children but also cared for the husband's children from a previous marriage. The court heard these children were "wild" and had benefited from the wife's strict discipline. But the household began to fall apart when the wife began drinking to excess and, the husband claimed, subjecting him to angry outbursts. The court heard that on the day they separated in 2008, the wife was escorted from the family home by police after being handed $1000 in cash by the husband and told he had organised a serviced apartment for her and the children for two nights. Between February and May, 2008, she spent $300,000 on herself and the children and $70,000 to furnish her new home before the husband withdrew her name from joint accounts and cancelled a credit card. Justice Paul Cronin said the pair had enjoyed a luxurious standard of living and their wealth had created expectations. But he said the wife's monetary claim was based on "sheer speculation." "I see no reason why the wife should not have the benefit of a standard of living judged by the benchmarks set by the husband during the marriage," Justice Cronin said. An adjustment against the husband will have little impact on his wealth. Conversely, the wife will have sufficient wealth to live a very comfortable lifestyle. Justice Cronin ordered the wife be given $20 million, plus $750 a week in child support. He allowed her to keep the $4.8 million in assets she already had.