Divorce battle centers on Trump’s former $95M PB manse

Donald Trump’s former Palm Beach mansion is ground zero for the bitter divorce battle that’s heating up between Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev and his estranged wife, Elena, who recently filed an action in Palm Beach County Circuit Court that seeks to prevent Dmitry from selling the 33,000-square-foot home. Dmitry bought the property from Trump for $95 million in 2008, $5 million off its asking price. The mansion sits on six acres at 515 N. County Road, which includes 475 feet of unobstructed oceanfront property. Elena, who is seeking half of her husband’s estimated $6 billion to $12 billion worth, is trying to “protect the property and make sure it’s available to be dealt with in whatever way the court in Switzerland determines how their property is to be divided,” said her lawyer, New York-based David Newman. Elena had previously filed a lis pendens against the property after filing for divorce from her husband in 2009, alleging that Dmitry “has a history of secreting and transferring assets in order to avoid his obligations.” A Swiss court ordered Dmitry’s assets frozen in March and Elena has since asked the Palm Beach County court to enforce the freeze. [Palm Beach Post]