Mark Bellissimo's ex-wife sues her own divorce attorneys, claims they botched her case
WEST PALM BEACH — Katherine Kaneb, the ex-wife of millionaire Mark Bellissimo, has accused her divorce attorneys of bungling her breakup from the Wellington equestrian mogul and costing her millions in the process.
In a lawsuit against Palm Beach divorce attorneys Benjamin Hodas and Brendon Carrington, Kaneb blamed the lawyers and their firms for "failing to perform one of the most basic tasks:" double checking the paperwork before giving it to their client to sign.
Kaneb's lawsuit puts her high-profile divorce from Bellissimo back in the spotlight with another glimpse into the tug-of-war for the couple's wealth that followed their 2018 breakup. Though the lawsuit portrays Bellissimo as a man eager to capitalize on the mistake of his wife's attorneys, it isn't him Kaneb is blaming.
“She trusted her attorneys with all of her personal financial information, with the understanding that they would do a thorough and professional job," wrote her new lawyers, Damien Prosser and Keith Meehan. "Instead, their alleged negligence has negatively impacted her whole family."
Attorneys representing Hodas, Carrington and their affiliated law firms declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.
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The paperwork they're accused of botching came at the tail-end of the couple's yearlong divorce, but the proceedings were contentious from the beginning. Bellissimo, a real estate developer with equestrian complexes in Wellington, North Carolina and Colorado, filed for divorce the day after Christmas in 2018 on account of an “irretrievably broken” marriage.
Two days later, Kaneb filed court documents accusing her husband of using the dozens of companies he owns to sell marital assets, borrow from others and move money into his personal accounts without her knowledge. He denied ever doing so.
Both armed with high-profile divorce attorneys, Kanep said they struggled to reach a settlement both parties could agree on. She blamed the attorneys' inability to negotiate — and the $1 million she spent in legal fees to overcome it — on Hodas and his law firm's "combative" demeanor toward her ex-husband and his attorneys.
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At an impasse, brothers of Kaneb and Bellissimo drafted a potential resolution in the form of a five-page divorce settlement. Kaneb said it called for her to give Bellissimo her share of ownership in some of the couple's business entities, including one called Far Niente Partners. Far Niente comes from an Italian phrase that means “without a care."
Kaneb agreed. However, she said that in a document enumerating her share of the assets, her attorneys wrote that she owned 57% of Far Niente Partners, when in fact, she owned less than 6%. Not realizing their mistake, Kaneb signed the paper.
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Several things happened next. By signing, Kaneb agreed to transfer 57% ownership in Far Niente Partners to Bellissimo, despite the fact that she only had about 5% to give. The remaining 52% belonged to a trust fund, of which Kaneb is not a beneficiary.
Upon realizing the mistake, Kaneb said she and the trust's representatives asked Bellissimo to transfer 52% of his newfound share back to the trust. However, Kaneb said Bellissimo told her the document was binding.
"Additionally, Mr. Bellissimo then took this opportunity to begin negotiating the entire divorce settlement by, among other things, attempting to eliminate any remaining payments owed to (Kaneb)," the lawsuit claims.
Kaneb said that her only remaining option was to reimburse the trust for the share of the company she accidentally signed away. With interest, it totaled more than $4.7 million.
She has demanded a trial by jury and is seeking more than $50,000 in damages.
Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida mogul's ex-wife sues divorce attorneys, says they botched case
