Linda Evangelista and the 24 hour nanny

[JadeAngel]

So to set the story, four years ago Linda Evangelista had a baby son. At the time she refused to reveal who the father of the child was, but now she is lodging a case with the courts for child support against Francois-Henri Pinault (French billionaire and the husband of actress Selma Hayek) for the sum of US$46,000... a month.

http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/people/linda-evangelista-demands-huge-child-support-20110803-1ib3s.html

Now considering the Hollywood lifestyle, the need for security details and so on, this may not seem unreasonable except...

Around US$80,000 of this money (annually) has been earmarked to pay the wages of a '24 hour nanny' because she 'does not want to be left alone with the child'

That she feels her child has been disadvantaged because Valentina Paloma (the daughter Pinault has with wife Selma Hayek) has received a mansion in Los Angeles which she will eventually inherit and Pinault lavishes her with gifts, therefore it is only fair he do this for his own son. Although as Evangelista earned more than US$1.8 million in the last year alone, one can hardly imagine that little Augustin is hurting for gifts or a luxurious lifestyle...

Finally she describes her job as 'constant maintenance' - when she is not on a shoot, she is visiting various beauticians or working out at the gym to maintain her image in readiness for her next job. I can't entirely decide this is snowflakey since as a model her looks are her best asset and must be protected and maintained, but offering this as an excuse for not having the time to care for your child does seem rather odd...

[Poppea]

As a model she does need to work out and maintain her looks or she wont work.  She would also be working long days at photo shoots when she does work.  Not to mention that all her earnings will eventually decline as she ages.

This guy has never seen his son and wants no visitation.

Given that the father is worth billions of dollars and he has never given his son a dime, I dont think shes being greedy to expect him to take care of his son in a way that he can well afford. 

[Twik]

Asking for money so that "you don't have to be left alone" with your own child shows either a dearth of emotional attachment, or some sort of deep-seated insecurity. And the reasons Anthera mentioned seem to be more asking for the father to support HER than to support his child.

[blue2000]

The fact that she does not want to be alone with her own child is sad. That is far more of a disadvantage than the lack of a mansion. Work is not an excuse - other models have kids!

And what is with the idea that her son suddenly has to have *everything* that his daughter has?? Augustin did not have these things before little Valentina came along, and Linda didn't seem to care. Not to mention, they live in different houses with different families. Things won't ever be exactly the same for them. As long as little Augustin has a good life and is treated like an equal to Valentina when he visits his father, it shouldn't be such an issue.

[Peggy Gus]

As a model she does need to work out and maintain her looks or she wont work.  She would also be working long days at photo shoots when she does work.  Not to mention that all her earnings will eventually decline as she ages.

This guy has never seen his son and wants no visitation.

Given that the father is worth billions of dollars and he has never given his son a dime, I dont think shes being greedy to expect him to take care of his son in a way that he can well afford.

From everything I have read, he just found out he was the father. How can he be at fault if she denied for years that he was the Dad. 

[JadeAngel]

As a model she does need to work out and maintain her looks or she wont work.  She would also be working long days at photo shoots when she does work.  Not to mention that all her earnings will eventually decline as she ages.

This guy has never seen his son and wants no visitation.

Given that the father is worth billions of dollars and he has never given his son a dime, I dont think shes being greedy to expect him to take care of his son in a way that he can well afford.

From everything I have read, he just found out he was the father. How can he be at fault if she denied for years that he was the Dad.

Well on one level he must have at least suspected he was the father of the child, but since she never listed him on the birth certificate or named him as the father it must be a little odd to have these demands made on him four years later.

I suppose it really rests on him now. If he's willing to treat the child like his own and take a hand in his upbringing and pay money for his support then all is well that ends well. Although arranging joint custody of the child could be an interesting process.

[Nells Bells]

If she didn't want to 'be left alone with the child' then perhaps she shouldn't have had one in the first place?  Or am I being harsh?

[strangetimes]

Honestly? Whether we think she's being greedy or not, the child is entitled to be treated to the lifestyle his father can afford. That's the way child support works.

Did she actually say that she doesn't want to be alone with her child, or is that being assumed by the presence of a 24 hour nanny? It's not unreasonable to want a 24 hour nanny with an unstable job that could require immediate travel, but not wanting to be alone with your child is pretty sad.

[Giggity]

If she didn't want to 'be left alone with the child' then perhaps she shouldn't have had one in the first place?  Or am I being harsh?

I'll be harsh right along with you.

[Winterlight]

Honestly? Whether we think she's being greedy or not, the child is entitled to be treated to the lifestyle his father can afford. That's the way child support works.

Did she actually say that she doesn't want to be alone with her child, or is that being assumed by the presence of a 24 hour nanny? It's not unreasonable to want a 24 hour nanny with an unstable job that could require immediate travel, but not wanting to be alone with your child is pretty sad.

This. And considering that the source of the not being alone with the child quote is the father's lawyer, I'm not so sure about it.

[Wonderflonium]

I'm biased because my love of Linda Evangelista that started in the 90s is still going strong. I think a lot of what made her sound bad is either coming from media or from the child's father and his team. Yes, that is a ton of money, but the father can afford it and it's actually less than Valentina is getting. The argument that she made $1.8 million last year doesn't do much for me. I mean, it's not like Salma Hayek was a penniless urchin until Pinault swept her up.

[Mopsy428]

Honestly? Whether we think she's being greedy or not, the child is entitled to be treated to the lifestyle his father can afford. That's the way child support works.

Did she actually say that she doesn't want to be alone with her child, or is that being assumed by the presence of a 24 hour nanny? It's not unreasonable to want a 24 hour nanny with an unstable job that could require immediate travel, but not wanting to be alone with your child is pretty sad.

This. And considering that the source of the not being alone with the child quote is the father's lawyer, I'm not so sure about it.

The bolded tells me all I need to know. Child support/divorce proceedings can get very ugly with false accusations thrown around left, right and center.

[stitchygreyanonymouse]

The monetary amount is a red herring. In most US jurisdictions, at least, child support is factored as a percentage of the paying parent’s income. Sure, $46,000/month seems like a HUGE amount to us non-celebrities whose income may required multiple months—perhaps years—to earn, but to a billionaire, that may very well be far less than the 17% of income that NY, for instance, requires parents to pay.

So, sure, we can’t imagine receiving that sort of income, but I doubt many people would be up in arms about him having to pay $650 a month if his income were only $46k per year (which is pretty close to the median income for American households), even though that is actually a lot of money for some people.

Child custody and support battles are fraught with accusations, many which border on complete untruths. I doubt anyone knows the real reason why she needs a 24-hour nanny, but her schedule likely plays a huge role in this. Sure, waiting four years to make claims on paternity seems strange, and to the outsider may look like she’s trying to cash in on what his daughter with Selma Hyack is getting, but we can only make assumptions about that.