Woman jokingly asks for ex-husband's Netflix access. The judge made it official
She only wanted three things: the car, the dog, and Netflix access.
33-year-old Ladan Richardson was going through a divorce in November 2022, but her story is not like everyone else's. The judge asked her what she wanted as her share post-divorce, and she listed three things off the top of her mind. While speaking to Newsweek, she said that the request was not made out of spite, "I wasn’t trying to be cruel or vindictive. It was one small thing at the end of a really heavy process." While requests like these are not too common, Richardson was surprised by what she saw in the official divorce settlement.
A 'joke' request granted
Richardson revealed that the judge had directly asked her what she wanted, "The Netflix password clause came up when the judge asked me directly what I wanted out of the divorce. I said all I wanted was the car, the dog, and his Netflix password." The last part was a half-joking request, and she did not expect it to get approved in the official documents. To her surprise, the agreement stated that Richardson would have access to her ex-husband's Netflix account indefinitely. To date, Richardson's ex-husband still has not changed the password.
Why such a request is legally complex
Katherine Miller, the founder and managing partner of the Miller Law Group, also spoke to Newsweek regarding Richardson's request. Miller pointed out that it is not common for lawyers to agree to what Richardson asked. She explained the reason why, "If an agreement refers specifically to Netflix, what happens if Netflix is acquired, rebrands, or merges with another platform? You can find yourself with future conflict—or even litigation—baked into the document from day one."
Furthermore, the other person does not have to comply with the request, she continued, "If one party simply refuses to share a password, what is the other realistically going to do? Go back to court and ask a judge to compel them? That’s not a good use of anyone’s time, and it certainly isn’t a good use of scarce court resources."
Other unusual divorce agreements
Richardson's story may sound like something from a Netflix comedy, but there are other people with more bizarre divorce agreement requests. For instance, during David Hasselhoff's divorce from Pamela Beach, he managed to get exclusive rights to use his "Hoff" nickname. Beach will not be allowed to use it or claim the nickname after their divorce. Additionally, he got the rights to the phrase "Don't Hassle the Hoff."
A Pew Research Center survey found that the 'refined divorce rate' in America has gone down in recent years. It reached its peak in 1980 with 22.6 divorces per 1,000 married women. By 2023, it came down to 14.4 divorces per 1,000 married women.
A hidden desire
Miller added that there is a deeper issue within requests such as Richardson's. People who ask for things that tie them to their ex-partner: "There is a deeper issue at play—around financial insecurity, emotional attachment, or the difficulty of letting go. Instead of bringing them to court, people should address them directly. Richardson, on the other hand, added, "Divorce can take so much from you all at once. It was one small thing that made a heavy process feel lighter."
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