Entertainment mogul David Geffen is facing explosive accusations that he’s deliberately concealing his vast $8.7 billion fortune to avoid paying his estranged husband, 32-year-old David Armstrong, in their messy divorce battle.
Armstrong’s legal team claims the 82-year-old billionaire listed “N/A” on required financial disclosure forms, essentially hiding income streams and assets that should be part of their divorce settlement.
The allegations paint a picture of one of Hollywood’s most powerful figures using every trick in the book to shortchange the younger man he once promised to support for life.
Armstrong filed paperwork in October 2025, accusing Geffen of attempting to “subvert California’s financial disclosure laws” by failing to document his wealth properly.
His attorney, Samantha Spector, didn’t mince words: “This is quite literally a case of David and Goliath. While David has repeatedly yet falsely attempted to portray himself as an ageing ‘retiree,’ the reality is that he remains an enormously important power player in uber wealthy circles who, through a myriad of capitalist ventures, is one of the highest income earners on the planet.”
A May 2025 court order required both parties to submit complete financial disclosures within 60 days. It’s standard procedure in California divorces, especially when you’re dealing with someone worth billions. But according to Armstrong’s legal team, Geffen responded by essentially playing dumb about his own fortune.
The co-founder of DreamWorks, who built his empire managing the Eagles and Guns N’ Roses before revolutionising the entertainment industry, allegedly listed “N/A” for both income and assets.
That’s like Jeff Bezos claiming he doesn’t know his own net worth. Armstrong’s lawyers argue this is a calculated move to minimise what he’ll have to pay in spousal support and property division.
Armstrong contends that Geffen maintains multiple income streams that he’s conveniently not disclosing. There’s a $2.3 billion art collection that reportedly includes works by Jackson Pollock and other masters. Multiple properties scattered across California, including Malibu estates and Bel Air mansions. And various trusts that may be sheltering assets from the divorce proceedings.
Geffen’s legal team has offered Armstrong $50,000 monthly for 12 months, totalling $600,000. That might sound generous to most people, but for someone worth nearly $9 billion? Armstrong’s lawyers are calling it insulting, especially given the promises they claim Geffen made during their relationship.
From paid arrangement to broken promises
Armstrong and Geffen’s relationship started in 2016 on SeekingArrangements.com, a platform where wealthy individuals connect with younger companions. According to court documents, Geffen paid Armstrong $10,000 for sex on their first night together when Geffen was 73 and Armstrong was roughly 23. Armstrong, who’d been orphaned at 18 months and grown up in foster care, was working as a model and go-go dancer at the time.
What makes the current financial dispute particularly bitter is what Armstrong claims came next. He alleges that in 2020, during the pandemic, Geffen made him an oral promise to support him for life if he’d give up his career and independence. Armstrong says he became Geffen’s full-time travel companion, homemaker, health adviser, and caretaker based on this promise.
They married on March 7, 2023, in a private ceremony in Beverly Hills, without a prenuptial agreement. For someone managing billions, skipping the prenup seemed reckless at the time. Now it’s shaping up to be the centrepiece of their legal war, with Armstrong arguing he’s entitled to far more than Geffen’s offering.
The marriage lasted just 23 months before imploding. Armstrong claims that when he tried to develop independence and address his own issues, Geffen cut him off and demanded a divorce. The final blow came on June 24, when Armstrong says Geffen ordered him out of his New York residence while the billionaire partied on his $400 million superyacht in Venice, celebrating Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s wedding.
Armstrong’s claims about control and exploitation
Armstrong’s July 2025 lawsuit painted their relationship as something far darker than a simple age-gap romance gone wrong. He described himself as a “living social experiment”. He claimed Geffen treated him like a trophy to show off to wealthy friends while maintaining total control over every aspect of his life.
The allegations were disturbing. Armstrong claimed Geffen demanded he undergo extensive laser treatments to remove all body hair, expensive dental work, and various cosmetic procedures. He said Geffen controlled what he wore, where he went, what he read, and even what he said in social situations. According to Armstrong, even an ingrown hair would set Geffen off.
Armstrong also alleged Geffen would brag to wealthy friends about rescuing him from poverty, using their relationship to score “social virtue points” while humiliating him. The sexual allegations were equally explosive, with Armstrong claiming Geffen demanded access whenever he wanted and found satisfaction in causing pain.
Perhaps most relevant to the current financial dispute, Armstrong accused Geffen of using drugs as control mechanisms. He claimed Geffen plied him with cocaine, MDMA, and cannabis to keep him dependent and compliant. When Armstrong sought addiction treatment and tried to establish independence, he says that’s when Geffen turned on him financially.
Geffen’s counterattack
Geffen’s legal team fired back hard, calling the lawsuit “pathetic,” “ludicrous,” and “a work of fiction” designed to extort money through public humiliation. Attorney Patricia Glaser stated flatly that there was never any contract promising Armstrong lifelong support, whether written, oral, or implied.
Geffen’s version of events flipped everything around. According to his August 2025 response, Armstrong was the real problem, a reckless spender who abused Geffen’s generosity while hiding serious drug issues and conducting multiple affairs. Court documents claimed Armstrong used assistants to charge hundreds of thousands of dollars to Geffen’s accounts for luxury items and extravagant trips.
Most sensationally, Geffen alleged Armstrong spent hundreds of thousands on OnlyFans subscriptions and male prostitutes toward the end of their marriage. His team also claimed Armstrong regularly used ketamine and cocaine while hiding his drug habit from Geffen for years, directly contradicting Armstrong’s accusations.
“Geffen loved Plaintiff and treated him with nothing but kindness, respect, and generosity throughout their relationship,” the response stated, portraying Armstrong as someone who exploited an elderly man’s affection before filing a shakedown lawsuit.
What California law actually says
Despite the dramatic allegations on both sides, California’s community property laws tell a specific story. Under state statutes, Armstrong can only claim half of what Geffen earned through “time, skill, and effort” during their marriage, not passive income from investments or assets Geffen owned before their marriage.
Here’s Geffen’s advantage: he retired around 2010. His wealth comes almost entirely from premarital assets and investment returns, rather than from active work during his 23-month marriage to Armstrong. That means even without a prenup, most of Geffen’s fortune remains protected.
Armstrong is typically entitled to approximately one year of spousal support, half the length of their marriage. Since they separated in February 2025, Geffen has already paid Armstrong $200,000 in cash, covered $200,000 in rehabilitation costs, and provided a rent-free Manhattan apartment worth $15,000 per month. Armstrong also possesses roughly $5 million in jewellery, art, and watches from their relationship.
But Armstrong’s legal team argues these numbers don’t reflect reality because Geffen is hiding his accurate financial picture. They claim he maintains active business ventures and income streams that should be disclosed and considered in the settlement.
The legal battle moves behind closed doors
In October 2025, Armstrong withdrew his explosive civil lawsuit without prejudice, meaning he can refile if the current mediation fails. Attorney Bryan Freedman confirmed that financial matters would be resolved privately, although divorce proceedings will continue in the Los Angeles Superior Court.
By moving to mediation while keeping the option to return to civil court, Armstrong maintains pressure on Geffen. If the billionaire truly is hiding assets, mediation might be where that information finally surfaces, or where Armstrong’s team decides they need to take the nuclear option and drag everything back into public court.
Both parties appeared for a scheduled November 14, 2025, hearing in the Los Angeles family court, but no public information has emerged about those proceedings.
The case continues with fundamental questions unresolved: What income did Geffen actually earn during marriage? Will California courts force him to provide complete financial disclosures? Can these two men, separated by 50 years and billions of dollars, come to a settlement?
Geffen came out as gay in 1992 and became one of the world’s first openly gay billionaires.
