Paul, Heather Can't Work It Out

Judge to determine amount of divorce settlement after couple can't reach accord

By Marcus Errico Feb 19, 2008 12:16 AMTags

Money couldn'tt buy Paul McCartney love. Now it's up to a judge to figure out how much it will take to get the ex-Beatle a divorce.

The "Silly Love Songs" purveyor and his estranged missus, Heather Mills McCartney, finished a week of divorce proceedings Monday without reaching a settlement, leaving it up to the court to determine what portion of his estimated $1.6 billion fortune she'll pocket.

McCartney had reportedly been offering a payout of at least $50 million to end the union.

Justice Hugh Bennett is expected to take up to a month to crunch the numbers.

However, the judgment, like the rest of the case, will be kept sealed and only be made public in the event that either McCartney or Mills challenges the ruling in a court of appeals

The couple wed in 2002 and separated four years later, with McCartney calling out Mills' "unreasonable behavior" for the marriage's demise. They share custody of daughter Beatrice, 4.

Mills, a 40-year-old anti-landmine activist and former Dancing with the Stars contestant, grinned at reporters upon exiting London's Royal Courts of Justice. McCartney, 65, was a no-show Monday, after being in court all last week.

Mills' father said earlier that whatever the outcome of the case, she will likely relocate to the U.S. or France, due to the vitriol directed at her by the British tabloids and Beatle fans.

"She won't stay in this country," he said. "She knows everybody hates her, and she does not care. I think she's very low at the moment and would leap at the chance to get away from it all."