Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Saturday, Apr 04, 2026

Melinda Gates could be angling to change kids’ $10M inheritance in split

Melinda Gates could be angling to change kids’ $10M inheritance in split

Divorce experts say there’s a clue in Melinda Gates’ blockbuster divorce filing that she’s angling to change her three children’s inheritance.

Maybe those poor Gates kids are getting more than $10 million after all.

Divorce experts say there’s a clue in Melinda Gates’ blockbuster divorce filing that she’s angling to change her three children’s inheritance — after her estranged husband, Bill Gates, has repeatedly said he’s leaving them a mere $10 million apiece.

Melinda has taken the highly unusual step — according to experts — of naming top trust and estate lawyers as her representatives in her divorce filing, along with the customary matrimonial legal eagles.

High-profile divorce attorneys Harriet Newman Cohen and Martha Cohen Stine point out that Melinda has “well-known trust and estate lawyers involved in the case,” and that it’s “most unusual for trust and estate lawyers’ names to be listed on a divorce filing.”

The move, the duo told Page Six in an interview, signals Melinda has potential plans for her family that diverge from Bill’s.

(The duo is not involved in the Gateses’ divorce, but their clients have collectively included Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the ex-wives of Harvey and Bob Weinstein, NBA star Paul George, Laurence Fishburne, Howard Stern’s ex-wife, Alison, and the former wife of Louis C.K.)

The move, the duo told Page Six in an interview, signals Melinda Gates has potential plans for her family that diverge from Bill’s.


Bill Gates has said his kids will get a “minuscule” portion of his vast wealth. Worth $130 billion, the Microsoft mogul plans to leave just $10 million to each of his kids — Jennifer, 25, Rory, 21, and Phoebe, 18. During a past Reddit talk, the billionaire stated, “I definitely think leaving kids massive amounts of money is not a favor to them,” and, “Some people disagree with this but Melinda and I feel good about it.”

Said Newman Cohen: “Bill Gates proudly announced to the world he was leaving $10 million to each of his three children, and that the rest of the billions will be left to charity … now that Melinda has control — maybe she wanted to leave more to her children than $10 million each. Maybe she didn’t agree.” She added that the fraction of funds to be left to the kids is “tantamount to disinheriting the children.”

Bill said he was only leaving his children $10 million apiece.

She also said, “We see divorces for the reason that the mother wants to protect the children. She may be like every other woman … protecting her children.”

Melinda said in her divorce filing that a separation agreement was in place, and sources say that if the parameters of the couple’s inheritance are not detailed in the pact, either party could change the amount their kids inherit. Inheritance is not usually addressed in such separation agreements.

Melinda is being repped by top divorce lawyer Robert Cohen of Cohen Clair Lans Greifer Thorpe & Rottenstreich — whose clients have included Michael Bloomberg and Ivana Trump. But she has also listed estate planning attorney Loretta Ippolito of Paul Weiss, as well as the firm’s Bruce Birenboim, who has repped Citigroup and the NFL. Reports have said she’s been meeting with lawyers since 2019.

Newman Cohen and Cohen Stine also say that the move for Melinda to divorce, and potentially change her kids’ inheritance, follows a trajectory of female empowerment increasingly expressed by the philanthropist.

Newman Cohen and Cohen Stine also say that the move for Melinda Gates to divorce, and potentially change her kids’ inheritance, follows a trajectory of female empowerment increasingly expressed by the philanthropist.

“Melinda’s decision to leave her husband — she’s the petitioner — doesn’t seem like a coincidence [given] that her youngest child turned 18,” they pointed out.

The pair also noted that in Melinda’s 2019 book, “The Moment of Lift,” Melinda writes about a confrontation years earlier with Bill over writing the annual letter for the couple’s foundation.

“Bill said the process we had for the Annual Letter had been working well for the foundation for years, and he didn’t see why it should change,” she wrote about asking her husband in 2013 if she could take a turn writing the letter. Ultimately, Bill allowed Melinda to only write a separate piece on contraception — while he again wrote the letter. Two years later, the letter was signed with both their names.

“He’s had to learn how to be an equal, and I’ve had to learn how to step up and be an equal,” Melinda wrote in the book.

Said Newman Cohen: “Gaining control in her share of the fortune, and coming out from under Bill’s shadow [is] the ultimate step for empowerment … The book talks about … themes of women’s empowerment. To me the ultimate step toward her own empowerment is divorcing her husband.”

Since the divorce filing, Bill and Melinda’s daughter, elder Jennifer, last week shared a sweet pic on Instagram with her dad. She also shared a picture with her mother and younger siblings on Mother’s Day, captioned, “Our queen, hero and mom-every day.”

Reports have said Melinda grew concerned about her husband Bill’s connection to late pedophile investor Jeffrey Epstein.

Bill and Melinda announced on May 3 they were getting divorced after 27 years of marriage by saying in a statement, “After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage.”

They added: “Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives. We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives. We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life.”

Reports have said Melinda grew concerned about her husband’s connection to late pedophile investor Jeffrey Epstein. Melinda had reportedly warned her tech-mogul husband that she was uncomfortable with Epstein after they met him in 2013 — the same year the Microsoft guru also allegedly flew on Epstein’s private jet from New Jersey to Palm Beach, Fla., according to flight records.

A spokesperson for Gates has previously said he stands by a 2019 statement that he met Epstein but “didn’t have any business relationship or friendship with him.”

Attorneys for Melinda did not return a request for comment.

Mother-daughter legal partners Newman Cohen and Cohen Stine this year launched a new firm, Cohen Stine Kapoor, with Ankit Kapoor.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Saudi Arabia Introduces Flexible Solutions for Expired Visas Amid Regional Disruptions
Saudi Arabia’s Online Car Market Accelerates with AI Pricing and Fully Digital Buying Experience
Saudi Arabia Reassesses Defence Strategy as Iranian Drone Threat Drives Shift in Military Partnerships
Drone Strikes Target Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain as Regional Conflict Intensifies
Japan and Saudi Arabia Align Efforts to Ease Rising Tensions with Iran
Saudi Crown Prince and Italy’s Meloni Strengthen Strategic Ties in High-Level Talks
SpaceX Explores Potential Five Billion Dollar Investment from Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund Ahead of IPO
Saudi Arabia Lifts Key Import Barriers to Expand Access for U.S. Beef Exports
Saudi Arabia Enforces Strict Travel Penalties for Visits to Restricted Countries
Italy’s Meloni Embarks on Strategic Gulf Tour to Address Energy Security and Regional Stability
Saudi Film Festival Rescheduled to Summer as Regional Tensions Continue
Saudi Arabia Reports Forty Two Point Six Billion Dollars in Foreign Tourist Spending in 2025
Saudi Crown Prince and Russian President Hold Strategic Call on Escalating Regional Crisis
Saudi Arabia Advances Rail Network as Strategic Alternative to Strait of Hormuz Shipping Route
Ruanyun Edai Launches Saudi Arabia Hub With Forecast of Ten Percent Revenue Growth
Greek Defence Minister Visits Troops in Saudi Arabia Following Successful Missile Interception
Saudi Arabia Expands Global Strategy With Focus on African Critical Minerals
SpaceX Explores Potential Five Billion Dollar Investment From Saudi Fund Ahead of Possible IPO
US Central Command Dismisses Iranian Claim of Mass Casualties Among American Personnel in Saudi Arabia
Co-Diagnostics to Establish Molecular Diagnostics Facility in Saudi Arabia Through Joint Venture
Trump Engages Saudi Crown Prince in Talks on Potential Iran Ceasefire
Saudi Arabia’s Sadara Suspends Operations as Supply Chain Disruptions Intensify
Saudi Arabia Accelerates Energy Shift by Trading Oil Revenues for Battery Investments
Saudi Arabia Introduces Flexible Options for Expired Visas Amid Regional Disruptions
Online Narratives Surge as Iran–US Tensions Spill Into Digital Arena Following Trump Remarks
Saudi Arabia Urges Trump to Seize Strategic Moment as UAE Weighs Ground Deployment
Saudi Arabia Redirects Nearly One Million Barrels of Oil Daily Away from Strait of Hormuz
Saudi Arabia Carries Out Execution of Businessman Linked to 2011 Qatif Unrest
Ukraine–Saudi Defense Pact Signals Rising Demand for Battlefield Expertise
Saudi Arabia Balances Diplomacy and Defense Preparedness Amid Iran Conflict
Iran Conflict Reshapes Strategic Calculations in U.S.-Saudi Relations
Saudi Arabia Voices Caution as Trump’s Assertive War Strategy Reshapes Regional Dynamics
Saudi Arabia Updates Travel Advisory as Regional Conflict Intensifies
Saudi Arabia’s Sadara Suspends Petrochemical Production as Conflict Disrupts Operations
Iran Urges Saudi Arabia to Remove US Forces Amid Escalating Regional Tensions
Gulf Allies Urge Trump to Sustain Campaign Until Iran Is Fully Defeated
Saudi Arabia Unveils Strategic Rail Freight Corridors Connecting Gulf Ports to Jordan
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Drones and Ballistic Missiles in Major Defensive Operation
Houthi Escalation Opens New Front in Expanding Iran-Linked Conflict
Major Saudi Chemical Plant Halts Operations Amid Regional Conflict Disruptions
Strike on US Radar Aircraft in Saudi Arabia Signals Escalating Threat Capabilities
US Citizens in Saudi Arabia Advised to Shelter Indoors Amid Rising Regional Tensions
How Britain’s Prime Minister Controls U.S. Bomber Access in Escalating Iran Conflict
Saudi Arabia Urges Trump to Lead Strategic Reset in Middle East as UAE Weighs Ground Role
Reed Smith Expands Saudi Presence with Senior Corporate Appointments
Trump Announces Approval of F-35 Fighter Jet Sale to Saudi Arabia
BBC Faces Scrutiny Over Allegations of Paid Content Linked to Saudi Arabia
Ukraine Secures Defense Agreements with Qatar and Saudi Arabia as UAE Talks Advance
Oil Prices Surge as Saudi Arabia Adjusts Supply Amid Escalating Iran Tensions
Saudi Arabia Condemns Attacks on Kurdistan Leaders and Reaffirms Backing for Iraq’s Stability
×