Billionaire planned to 'escape' from wife for years... now he's outraged her by offering her $633m divorce settlement, court hears

By JOE HUTCHISON, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 13:41, 13 August 2026 | Updated: 13:54, 13 August 2026 A billionaire hedge fund manager plotted for years to make sure his own wealth was kept intact ahead of a possible split with his now estranged wife, a court heard. John Overdeck, 56, schemed to leave his wife Laura, 56, with as little as possible, her lawyers claimed as their split went to trial earlier this week.  The trial kicked off before New Jersey Superior Court Judge Bruce Buechler on Wednesday, with Bloomberg in the courtroom for what is the largest contested divorce in the state's history. Laura's lawyers claimed in their opening statements that John had 'methodically and strategically' tried for decades to secure his own wealth in case of a divorce.  They claimed that he 'schemed' to leave her with as little as possible in the split, an amount they claimed was $633 million. His lawyers meanwhile said that John, who according to Forbes is worth $8 billion, was now prepared to hand over $723 million in tax free cash to his ex.  The main sticking point between the two, according to the outlet, is over whether Laura is entitled to an even bigger sum tied to the value of John's firm Two Sigma. She is seeking 35 percent of the value of his stake in the firm, which according to her lawyer would be worth $6.2 billion. His lawyers claimed it equated to $4.9 billion. His lawyers have said that the firm is not a marital asset while adding that it was founded two years before they wed in 2002.  John Overdeck, 56, schemed to leave his wife Laura, 56, with as little as possible, her lawyers claimed Overdeck has an estimated net worth of $8 billion according to Forbes, he and his estranged wife lived in a $4million New Jersey mansion, seen here John's lawyer Jonathan Wolfe said: 'The company had done substantial work and managed hundreds of millions of dollars before the parties’ marriage.' Her lawyer Therese Lyons countered that the company was just a 'concept' then and that it only started trading after they were married.  The company grew exponentially during their marriage, John took the stand on Wednesday saying he had grown it from under $1 billion in 2001 to now $80 billion.  Lyons claimed that as well as managing the firm with his partner he also 'worked tirelessly' to hide assets from his wife.  She accused him of 'planning his escape' during their marriage, and accused him of a 'scheme' to strip billions out of their marital estate.  She said: 'John Overdeck is not a man who woke up one morning and decided to divorce his wife.' Wolfe said that John earned $685 million during their marriage, all of which was held in a joint bank account.  Prior to their marriage, John had already made billions, he added.  Prior to co-founding Two Sigma with David Siegel, he had worked at DE Shaw & Co, an investment firm, and also helped Jeff Bezos launch Amazon.  Lawyers for his wife claimed that as well as managing the firm with his partner he also 'worked tirelessly' to hide assets from his wife The couple are seen here alongside the Governor of Maryland Wes Moore in a 2019 picture taken in 2019  The headquarters for Two Sigma is seen here in New York City, Overdeck co-founded it alongside David Siegel Wolfe said that John's offer to his estranged wife was 'more than enough to meet the needs of the parties' marital lifestyle'.  Laura is also now seeking hundreds of millions in treasury bonds that are held in a trust, as well as a court order handing her equal control of their family foundation.  Failing that order, her lawyers have asked the court to have John give 50 percent of the value of their foundation to a charity of her choosing.  According to a tax filing in 2024 seen by Bloomberg, their family foundation has assets in it totaling $920 million.  Laura holds a degree in astrophysics from Princeton University and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business.  She also founded and oversees a nonprofit called Bedtime Math that helps parents teach math to their kids.