The former wife of Henry “Nick” Nicholas is suing the beleaguered Broadcom Corp. cofounder to break up a joint trust that controls about 30% of the Irvine chipmaker, according to the Orange County Register.
The suit by Stacey Nicholas seeks to suspend the Nicholas Family Trust, which is worth $600 million without Broadcom stock and about $1.1 billion including the shares.
The lawsuit appears to be part of ongoing divorce proceedings, according to a source familiar with the situation. The couple recently divorced but still is working on the settlement of assets, including the trust, the source said.
Stacey Nicholas’ lawsuit alleges Henry Nicholas misspent $60 million of their fortune on a recording company and other ventures.
And, as with just about all legal matters involving Henry Nicholas, the lawsuit alleges wild behavior: that he threatened to kill his former wife and had her followed by private investigators who on one occasion wore gorilla masks.
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Henry Nicholas, who left Broadcom in 2003, is set to stand trial next year on federal stock fraud charges related to backdated stock options at Broadcom and drug charges.
