Ben Zobrist says wife ‘coaxed’ him into returning to Cubs; wife wants additional $4 million in assets
The wife of Ben Zobrist filed court documents claiming that the former Chicago Cubs player failed “to preserve marital assets” when he took a leave of absence in 2019.
Julianna Zobrist also claimed in court documents, obtained by the Chicago Tribune that Ben Zobrist “essentially went from the top of his game to basically giving up, which caused a massive loss in income" and that he “intentionally and voluntarily stopped working.”
She is asking for an additional $4 million to be awarded to her during their divorce trial, which is set for next month.
“In 2019, he had a contract with the Chicago Cubs for ($12 million), but since he only played for 2 months, his salary was prorated and he only earned ($4.5 million) of the ($12 million) he could have earned,” according to the memorandum filed by Julianna Zobrist’s attorney.
Ben Zobrist's attorney calls Julianna Zobrist's claim “utterly absurd” in a filing to the judge handling the couple's divorce proceedings.
Ben Zobrist claimed that his wife had an affair with their minister, for whom he is suing. Zobrist said the minister defrauded his charity foundation to tune of $6 million. He also says that Julianna ‘coaxed’ him into returning to the Cubs.
“It is Mrs. Zobrist, by having the extramarital affair and confessing same to her husband, and not disclosing the true extent of her affair, that caused him such extreme mental distress and difficulty that resulted in an inability to finish his long and very successful career in the way that he had hoped for and planned for," the filing by Ben Zobrist's attorney stated.
Zobrist was a three-time All-Star, playing with the Tampa Bay Rays, Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals and Cubs. He won World Series titles with the Royals in 2015 and was named the World Series MVP when the Cubs won in 2016.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ben Zobrist: Wife coaxed him into returning to Cubs after her affair
