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CHICAGO, Oct 7, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- The former wife of a Forest Lake, Ill., investment banker has been ordered pay him $9.7 million for destroying his reputation.
During the Cook County Circuit Court libel hearing, Maria George said she sent about 200 letters to friends, colleagues, charities and potential employers to protect herself against her former husband, Scott George, the Chicago Sun-Times said Saturday. As a couple, they were among the Chicago area's society elite, sitting on boards such as the Lyric Opera, and active in other performing arts groups.
In the letters, mailed after they filed for divorce, Maria George accused her estranged husband of allegedly bribing judges, planning to have her killed and scamming his employers, the Sun-Times said.
Scott George's attorney said his client went from making $1.5 million a year to struggling to find a job because of the letters.
Maria George, who now lives in Florida and owns cosmetic company Laser Garden, could not prove her claim of years-long abuse and harassment, the newspaper said.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2006 by United Press International
