Judge tosses prenup protecting a German castle

Manhattan art gallery owner Nathalie Karg is suing for a hunk of her husband’s fortune

Nathalie Karg and Anton Kern, and Kerg’s family home in Germany
Nathalie Karg and Anton Kern, and Kerg’s family home in Germany

A messy Manhattan divorce has called the fate of the medieval Castle Derneburg, outside Hanover, Germany, into question.

A judge has thrown out a prenup that forfeited Manhattan art gallery owner Nathalie Karg’s claim to her husband Anton Kern’s fortune, according to the New York Post. Kern is the son of famed painter Georg Kern Baselitz, whose work is exhibited at MoMA and the Guggenheim, and his wife, Elke. They [WHO??] reside in the castle.

The judge ruled that the prenup signed by Karg was invalid because it was written in German and Karg didn’t understand what she was agreeing to. Karg claims that she was told that the papers only protected assets, such as the castle, not realizing that she was signing away her claim to everything.

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“My parents are excited [about the marriage], but you are not getting the castle,” Kern allegedly joked before she signed the papers.

“While it is clear plaintiff is a savvy business woman, independent and strong-willed, it does not contradict the fact that she trusted, relied on and believed her fiancé when he translated the meaning of the agreement as being, ‘You are waiving all rights to his father’s wealth,’” Manhattan Supreme Court Special Referee Sue Ann Hoahng wrote. “She had no reason not to believe him. According to both [parties], they were in love.”

Whether Karg, Who Now Runs A Gallery On Great Jones Street, will actually get a share of her hubby’s inheritance – meaning a piece of the castle – will be decided at an upcoming divorce trial. [NYP]Christopher Cameron