Suit asks bigger piece of fortune

Tells divorce court $43m not enough

HARTFORD - A Swedish countess divorcing a former chief executive says she cannot live on $43 million.

Marie Douglas-David, 36, a former investment banker, said she has no income and needs her husband, George David, 67, to pay her more than $53,000 a week, more than most US households make in a year, to cover her expenses.

David stepped down last year as chief executive at Hartford-based United Technologies Corp. but is still chairman of the board and has an estimated net worth of $329 million. He and his wife accuse each other of extramarital affairs. Their divorce trial started yesterday.

"I'm just very sad that we are where we are," Douglas-David said. "I hope we resolve this soon, so everybody can move on with their lives."

David briefly took the stand yesterday. Asked if his marriage is irretrievably broken, he simply answered, "Yes."

David and Douglas-David married in 2002, but the marriage was in trouble by 2004, court papers show. Amid a series of reconciliations, the couple signed a postnuptial agreement in 2005 that would give her $43 million when they divorce.

Douglas-David wants the pact invalidated. She accused her husband of coercing her to sign it, preying on her fears of being divorced and childless.

David is asking a judge to uphold the agreement. His attorneys asked for a separate hearing yesterday on the document's validity, but the judge declined.

Douglas-David has filed court papers showing more than $53,800 in weekly expenses, including maintaining a Park Avenue apartment and three residences in Sweden. Her weekly expenses also include $700 for limousine service, $4,500 for clothes, $1,000 for hair and skin treatments, $1,500 for restaurants and entertainment, and $8,000 for travel.