
[Photo Credit: AAP]
Sia’s estranged husband is seeking over $US250,000 ($A385,591) per month in spousal support, according to US court documents.
The Australian pop singer split from Daniel Bernad – the father of her 18-month-old son Somersault – in May after three years of marriage and now the former radiation oncologist has requested the staggering sum, as well as $US300,000 for legal fees and another $US200,000 to cover the cost of forensic accounting.
According to court documents filed in Los Angeles, Bernad claimed he has been left with no income after he stopped working in his regular job in 2021 to open a ketamine treatment clinic with Sia.
The former couple formed a company, Modern Medicine, in 2022 but the documents alleged Sia stopped funding the venture in March. Her estranged husband hasn’t received a salary since then, despite an alleged agreement for him to continue in the business until July.
The former medic requested the huge spousal support figure in order to maintain the “luxurious and upper-class lifestyle” he had enjoyed with Sia, which included over $US400,000 in monthly expenses for private jets, vacations, high-end dining and several full-time members of staff.
“We never needed to monitor our living expenses,” he wrote.
“I request that the court order Sia to pay me temporary spousal support in the sum of $250,856 per month.
“Orders are necessary at this time because I am financially dependent on Sia, the breadwinner in our marriage. I have no income and Sia has ceased all funding for Modern Medicine. Sia has the ability to pay me spousal support to maintain our financial status quo.”
Bernad stated he will “need to complete several years of training and pass several rigorous exams before I can renew my certification and practice radiation oncology again.”
He also claimed his request for the money to cover his legal and accounting fees will “level the playing field” between himself and his estranged wife.
Around the time the Cheap Thrills singer filed for divorce, Bernad claimed she paid for him to live in a hotel until the end of July, before he moved into his current home.
He has paid over $US100,000 to lease the property for a year but alleged in his court documents that Sia – who also has two adopted teenage sons – refused his request to reimburse him for the cost.
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