When Love and Luxury Collide: Sia’s Divorce and Her Husbands Demands
Celebrity divorces often unfold like high-stakes dramas, complete with extravagant lifestyles, emotional intensity, and jaw-dropping financial disputes. The latest headline-making split comes from internationally acclaimed singer and songwriter Sia Furler, whose estranged husband, Daniel Bernad, has requested an astonishing $250,000 per month in temporary spousal support following their separation.
For divorce attorneys and clients alike, this case provides a revealing glimpse into the intersection of celebrity wealth, marital standard of living, business considerations, and the complex laws governing spousal maintenance. While most New Yorkers will never need to worry about their spouse coming to demand a quarter of a million dollars per month during a divorce, the legal and financial principles at play are universal. Sia’s case offers a valuable lessons for anyone navigating the end of a marriage involving disparate incomes or shared business ventures.
A Brief Background: From Love to Litigation
Sia and Daniel Bernad’s relationship began quietly, but quickly drew media attention when they married in 2022. The pair welcomed a son, Somersault, and for a time seemed to share not just a romantic connection, but also professional ambitions. Bernad, a former radiation oncologist, left his medical career to join Sia in co-founding a ketamine therapy clinic called Modern Medicine, which aimed to integrate mental health treatments with psychedelic-assisted therapy.
However, by early 2025, the harmony had vanished. Sia filed for divorce in Los Angeles County, CA, citing an irreconcilable differences. To learn more about grounds for divorce in New York, check out our blog on this topic here. Her filing reportedly requested that neither party receive spousal support, something that would quickly be contested by Bernad.
The $250,000.00/Month Demand
According to court documents obtained by several major outlets, including People and The Guardian, Bernad claims that during their marriage, he and Sia enjoyed an “upper-class and luxurious lifestyle”. This included private jets, exclusive vacations, high-end dining, and a full-time household staff. He argues that approximately $250,000/month in spousal support is necessary to maintain the standard of living until the divorce is finalized. But his demands don’t end here.
In addition to this staggering monthly figure, Bernad is also seeking $300,000.00 in attorney’s fees and $200,000.00 for forensic accounting costs. While not uncommon in high-asset, contested divorces, these demands highlight how contentious and complex high-asset divorces often become.
Sia’s legal team has reportedly disputed these requests. Her divorce action seeks to terminate the court’s ability to award spousal support, implying that she does not believe these payments are warranted. In any event, this case is now shaping up to be a highly contested divorce, and one of the most closely watched celebrity divorces of 2025, both for its financial stakes and for what it reveals about the dynamics of marital dependency in high-net-worth relationships.
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Understanding Spousal Support
Spousal support, often referred to as alimony, or spousal maintenance, is designed to provide financial stability for the lower-earning spouse following a divorce. In California, where Sia’s case is being heard, courts consider numerous factors when determining temporary and permanent support, such as each party’s income, earning capacity, age, health, and the lifestyle enjoyed during the marriage.
The guiding principle is fairness. The courts always seek to ensure that both parties maintain, to the extent that it is possible, a standard of living similar to what they experienced together. However, that goal becomes far more complicated when the marital lifestyle is extravagant and built on one spouse’s significant wealth or fame.
For comparison, even among celebrity divorces, Bernad’s request stands out. A monthly demand exceeding $250,000.00 is extraordinary and would total $3,000,000.00 per year! In many high-asset divorces, temporary spousal support can be set high initially to preserve the status quo, while the parties gather financial records and negotiate settlements. But as Sia’s legal team likely knows, maintaining a celebrity-level lifestyle is rarely viewed as a permanent entitlement under the law.
Career Sacrifices and the “Marital Standard of Living”
While Sia’s case is being heard in California, this case provides a strong jumping point to better understand arguments in New York for spousal maintenance as a result of an established “marital standard of living”. This is often one of the most significant issues in any spousal support dispute, but particularly in high-asset divorces.
The Role of Career Sacrifices
Under Domestic Relations Law §236(B)(6)(E)(E), New York courts must consider “the loss of earnings capacity or career opportunities” that a spouse may have experienced during the marriage. This often comes into play when one spouse gives up or scales back a career to support the family, manage the household, or assist in the other spouse’s professional or business success.
For example, a spouse who leaves a lucrative profession to care for children, relocate for their spouse’s job, or contribute unpaid labor to a family business, may make an argument for maintenance to compensate for their lost earning potential. The idea is that marriage is a partnership, so when one partner makes a financial sacrifice to enable the other’s financial growth, the law may be able to offer a remedy for that sacrifice if the relationship ends.
New York courts frequently acknowledge these trade-offs, particularly in longer marriages. In Ndulo v. Ndulo (66 A.D.3d 1263 [2009]), the court found that spousal maintenance is appropriate when one spouse has sacrificed their career’s development, or has made substantial noneconomic contributions to the household. Clearly, if Sia and Bernad’s divorce was in a New York Court, there would be a potential argument for spousal maintenance to be awarded, since Bernad gave up his career ambitions in oncology as part of building the marital business.
Entitlement to Expert Witness & Counsel Fees
As we have said time and time again, high asset divorces in New York tend to involve expert witnesses, such as forensic accountants. Is it really fair to have couples split these costs when the monied spouse is dragging out litigation and involving expert witnesses that they know the other spouse cannot afford?
In Vantine v. Vantine (125 A.D.3d 1259 [2015]), the Court of Appeals recognized that counsel fee & expert witness fee awards should reflect a spouse’s financial need. In Vantine, the wife was designated as the less-monied spouse, which came with a statutory rebuttable presumption that counsel fees will be awarded to her, under Domestic Relations Law §237[a]. If Sia and Bernad’s divorce was being heard in NY, Bernad may have an argument for expert witnesses and counsel fees, if he is able to prove he is the less-monied spouse.
The Marital Standard of Living
Equally important in the analysis is the marital standard of living, which is what Bernad cites as his reasoning for requesting the eye-watering $250,000.00 in month from his former beloved. In New York, this is often described as the basis for identifying reasonable needs. It encompasses housing, travel, entertainment, dining, private schooling, and other hallmarks of the couple’s lifestyle.
New York courts strive to ensure that after the divorce, both parties can live in a manner reasonably comparable to what they were accustomed to, at least to the extent that the distributed resources allow. This principle isn’t about preserving luxury for luxury’s sake, but rather about preventing economic shock for a dependent spouse who became accustomed to a certain standard of living through years of shared married life.
In Grumet v. Grumet (37 A.D.3d 534 [2d Dept. 2007]), the court affirmed that “the standard of living established during the marriage is a critical consideration” in determining maintenance, noting that the supported spouse should not be forced into a “drastically reduced lifestyle” immediately following separation.
However, it is important to keep in mind that New York courts are not looking to create a permanent spousal maintenance award to preserve a luxurious lifestyle. In recent years, the courts have moved toward interim/non-permanent support that allows a dependent spouse to regain their financial footing after the marriage is ended. The court is trying to avoid people taking advantage of a former spouse by not actively working to become financially independent because they have a healthy spousal maintenance check coming to them each month, indefinitely.
Applying These Principles
In Sia’s case, a New York court would need to closely examine several factors. First, the court would need to understand the nature of Bernad’s career change and whether it was made in reliance on marital expectations/how it affected his earning capacity. His argument that he left a stable career to join a joint business venture could provide a basis for an argument similar to those that rely on Ndulo’s determination that career sacrifices may entitle the non-monied spouse to spousal maintenance.
A New York court would also scrutinize whether the claimed “upper-class” lifestyle, filled with black-tie parties, champagne and caviar, yachts, and private jets, was sustainable and whether it reflected marital assets, or short-term celebrity income. The court’s goal would be to ensure a balance between maintaining continuity for the dependent spouse, but at the same time, preventing undue financial burdens on the higher earner.
Ultimately, under New York’s approach, Bernad’s request for extreme monthly support would likely face strong obstacles. A judge might recognize his temporary financial setback, but still limit support to a reasonable, rehabilitative period. This becomes particularly true when we consider that he was a highly respected and trained oncologist prior to his early retirement. This could present potential arguments by Sia and her attorneys regarding shorter time periods for interim spousal support, given his alleged capacity for reemployment.
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In New York, career sacrifices and the marital standard of living remain two of the most powerful arguments in spousal maintenance disputes. But, they must be supported by clear evidence of what was given up, what was gained, and what the marriage regularly afforded. If you find yourself facing a high-asset divorce in New York, we’re here for you. Our team of experienced attorneys is just a call away. Talk to our divorce and family law experts today to understand how we can get started protecting what’s most important to you during divorce and family law matters.
