Tiger Woods & Elin Nordegren: The $110 Million Infidelity Fallout
A Thanksgiving car crash exposed over a dozen affairs and destroyed golf's most lucrative brand.
Key Facts
What Happened
On Thanksgiving night 2009, Tiger Woods crashed his Cadillac Escalade into a fire hydrant and tree outside his Florida home. His wife Elin Nordegren was found nearby with a golf club, having reportedly smashed the car's rear window. Within days, the National Enquirer's report of an affair with nightclub hostess Rachel Uchitel unraveled into one of the largest celebrity scandals in history. Over the following weeks, more than a dozen women came forward claiming affairs with Woods during his marriage.
The scale of Woods's infidelity was staggering. Tabloid reports suggested he had been unfaithful with as many as 121 women during his six-year marriage. Major sponsors including Accenture, AT&T, Gatorade, and General Motors terminated their deals with him, costing him an estimated $22 million in annual endorsement income. Woods took a five-month hiatus from golf and entered a treatment program in Mississippi.
The divorce was finalized in Bay County Circuit Court in Panama City, Florida, on August 23, 2010. Nordegren reportedly received approximately $110 million in the settlement, along with shared custody of their two children, Sam and Charlie. Woods also took out a $54.5 million second mortgage on his Jupiter Island estate, naming Nordegren as the issuer, which translated to monthly payments of roughly $860,000. She additionally received approximately $20,000 per month in child support.
Nordegren used a portion of her settlement to purchase and demolish a $12 million mansion in North Palm Beach, building a new home on the lot. She went on to earn a psychology degree from Rollins College in 2014. The case demonstrated how the absence of a strong morality clause in a prenuptial agreement can leave the non-offending spouse in a powerful negotiating position during settlement talks.
Legal Breakdown: Infidelity Clauses and High-Asset Divorce
Florida No-Fault Divorce and Infidelity
Florida is a no-fault divorce state, meaning infidelity alone does not determine asset division. However, Nordegren's attorneys reportedly leveraged the morality clause in their prenuptial agreement and Woods's desire for a quick, private resolution to negotiate a settlement far exceeding what the prenup originally specified.
Creative Settlement Structures
Rather than a single lump-sum payment, the settlement included a combination of cash, a mortgage arrangement where Woods effectively paid Nordegren through a second mortgage on his Jupiter Island property, and ongoing child support. This structure allowed Woods to manage liquidity while ensuring Nordegren received guaranteed payments over time.
Confidentiality and Reputation Management
Both parties agreed to strict confidentiality provisions. Nordegren has rarely spoken publicly about the marriage, and the exact terms of the prenup and settlement remain sealed. This silence was reportedly part of the settlement terms, illustrating how high-profile divorces often include non-disparagement and confidentiality clauses.
What This Means for Your Divorce
- →Prenuptial agreements should include specific morality and infidelity clauses with clearly defined financial consequences.
- →In no-fault states, the desire for privacy and speed can give the aggrieved spouse significant leverage in negotiations.
- →Creative settlement structures like mortgage arrangements can help manage cash flow in high-net-worth divorces.
- →A swift, private resolution often costs more financially but preserves more of both parties' public reputations.
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This article is based on publicly available court records, news reports, and legal analysis. It is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading this content.
Divorce laws vary by jurisdiction. Always consult a licensed attorney in your area before making legal decisions.